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NORTHBOROUGH – For nearly 20 years, if the Northborough Free Library was holding a book sale, chances are Ellen Church was behind it.
After overseeing hundreds of volunteers, organizing thousands of donated books, and helping to raise more than $250,000 for the Friends of the Northborough Library, Church is stepping down from her role as Book Sale Chair.
Church has served under three library directors and has helped turn the book sales into a major fundraising effort. Her relentless dedication and passion leads the way.
“It’s not rocket science,” Church said. “It’s just books and loving books.”
Church oversees a team of over 100 volunteers in the community who sort through, pack up, and sell books during six sales each year. A typical sale features roughly 5,000 books, while larger events can offer over 10,000 titles.
“I really love working with these people,” Church said. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of people really well, and it’s something I just have loved doing.”
Church’s connection to libraries began when she was a 12-years-old. As a teenager, she did page work in her Pennsylvania hometown, and her love for books quickly turned into 20 years of experience.
“You can go wherever you want in a book,” Church said. “I read a lot of science fiction when I was a kid, a lot of fantasy.
You read a book and you’re transported to somewhere else. It’s just better than TV.”
One perk of the job has been discovering new books.
Northborough Free Library. (Photo/Laura Hayes)
“I get to see all of the books that come in, and I found a lot of my next reads from books that were donated by other people,” Church said.
Her favorite moments come when she can help visitors find exactly what they’re looking for.
“[It’s rewarding] when someone comes in and asks if you have a specific book or author and you can pull it out and say, ‘Here you go,’” Church said. “Someone came in and asked for a Kristin Hannah book this morning, and we just went and pulled one out for her.”
In the end, every donated book contributes to something larger.
“We raise thousands of dollars, a dollar at a time,” Church said.
