Dover Public Library collecting eclipse glasses to give them new life
DOVER (WJER) (April 11, 2024) – The Dover Public Library is collecting those solar glasses that were being distributed for months ahead of this week’s eclipse. Director Jim Gill says his library is taking donations of the glasses now through the end of the month.
“We have a box at our front foyer, which is in the adult department of the library,” Gill said. “Just throw them in that box and they’ll go to a good home.”
He says those glasses will be shipped off to an organization such as ‘Astronomers Without Borders’ or ‘Eclipse Glasses USA’ to recycle or repurpose for use in other parts of the world for future eclipses, and to preserve eyesight in those locations.
“That’s a big worry. If you don’t have glasses, you are going to take a look up at that, and I think this might help with that,” said Gill.
Gill says the library is accepting the glasses, regardless of condition.
“If they’re totally junk, bring them anyway. We’ll repurpose and recycle what we can out of them. Staff will evaluate them quickly.”
Or, he says you can always just keep the glasses as a souvenir.
Gill says the Dover Public Library alone last month distributed about a thousand pairs of the eclipse glasses that were sponsored by the Friends of the Library group.