From left, Joni Blackman, Prendergast Library board president; Tina Scott, library director, and Heather Turner, president of Blackstone Advanced Technologies, stand in front the custom-made book drop created and donated by Blackstone Advanced Technologies.

When donations for the library’s daily used book sale were disappearing overnight, local manufacturer Blackstone Advanced Technologies was happy to help.

The library reached out to Blackstone this past fall, when items donated to the library’s book sale were being targeted by theft overnight. Blackstone assigned the project to a local team of four employees, who designed and created the structure that now allows donations to be securely accepted.

Donations now remain securely in the book drop until library staff can retrieve them.

“People really care and want their donations to help the library,” said library director Tina Scott. “Now the books are actually making it to our sale.”

The donated book drop means the library has more books, CDs, audiobooks and movies to offer in the library’s daily used book sale. The profits from the sale are a significant portion of the library’s yearly operating budget.