Tag Sale Planned At Melrose Library Ahead Of Library Renovation

MELROSE, MA — From filing cabinets to perennial plants, Melrose community members will soon have a chance to own a piece of the Melrose Public Library via a planned library tag sale later this month.

The cash only event is set for Sept. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the library. It comes as library operations transition to a new home at the Beebe School in Melrose to make way for planned renovations at the West Emerson Street library site.

Items are all either old or otherwise outdated for current library use. They will be offered to other city departments before going on sale for the public. Possible items on sale on Sept. 17 could include the following, according to an event announcement:

• Metal filing cabinets and lockers
• Display cases
• Art photos, prints and framed artwork
• Decorative items
• Benches, a sofa, tables and chairs
• Rugs
• Antique rolling shoe store ladders
• Puzzles and games
• Perennial plantings and bulbs

The event will come just four days after library operations are scheduled to resume at the Beebe School.

Construction back at West Emerson Street won’t begin until October, however, according to an estimate from Library Director Linda Gardener last month.

The library renovation project includes roughly $21 million in planned work to replace a 1960s addition to the library while preserving the building’s historic main facade. Construction is set to run through 2023 to then wrap up in February of 2024.

The city is helping pay for the renovations by combining a $2 million commitment from the Library Trustees with a $10.8 million city bond and $8.2 million in state grant money.

Efforts to renovate the library date back to at least 2013.

“It is both exciting and a bit surreal to have reached this milestone after all the years of planning,” Gardener said last month.

READ: Melrose Public Library Preps For Temporary Move

The library closed on Aug. 13 to allow time to make the transition to the Beebe School. Some programs are continuing in the meantime, though, including a planned book sale on the library lawn on Sept. 11 during Melrose’s Victorian Fair Day.

The sale will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering a variety of books for community members. Most prices will range between $.50 and $2, with proceeds going back to the library project.

The book sale is organized by the Friends of the Melrose Public Library.

A full FAQ on the library’s move to the Beebe School is available online.