NORWAY — Imagine having to eat pies, cakes, cookies, bars and other desserts to finance the expansion of the local library’s audio and video collection.

Not a bad bargain.

The Friends of Norway Memorial Library are sponsoring a Delightful Dessert Extravaganza on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the library at 258 Main St. A large selection of chocolate and non-chocolate desserts, including pies, cakes and cookies, will be available to sample or take home, according to news release by the group.

The drop-in event — first of its kind for the library — is being held to raise funds for the library’s audio and video collection, library Director Beth Kane said.

“The Friends of Norway Memorial Library fund our purchasing of audio and video materials and have done so for many years,” Kane said. The majority of the Friends’ fundraising is done through the memberships and the annual book sale that is held each summer during the Norway Arts Festival.

The library has about 3,000 audio and video items, according to Kane, and a budget of $6,000 to maintain and improve the collection.

Its DVD collection includes everything from the recent PBS documentary “The Roosevelts, An Intimate History” to the 2014-released Oscar winning “American Hustle,” “Gravity” and “Rush.” There are older videos such as “The Hunt for Red October,” released in 1998, and “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

Movies in the VHS format — a mainstay in homes for some 20 years until the late 1990s when DVDs started taking hold in the home video market — are no longer purchased by the library, Kane said.

So far in the first six months of the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014, the library loaned just under 4,000 audio and video items, Kane said.

To help make the fundraiser successful, the Friends are looking for dessert contributions from volunteers. For more information or to sign up to provide a dessert, contact the library at 743-5309, ext. 1.

Samples will cost $5 for five pieces or $10 for 12 pieces. Boxes will be provided for takeout. There will be coffee and tea available for those who wish to sit at tables to enjoy samples. Music will be provided by the Oxford Hills Ukulele Group from 2:30 to 3 p.m.

For three years, starting in 2010, the Friends held spring chocolate fundraisers where people could taste chocolate desserts. Donations were taken at the door, but the event was limited to 80 people, Kane said.

This year’s fundraiser allows an unlimited number of people to “drop in” and buy some desserts.

Last year, the Delightful Dessert Extravaganza was added to help supplement the budget.

The Friends of Norway Memorial Library is a group of volunteers who work in partnership with the Board of Trustees and the library staff to provide additional library resources, enhance library services and assist with library programs and activities.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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