NORWICH – The public is invited to visit Chenango County Historical Society's Paperback Exchange between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 15 to join in celebrating the 15th anniversary of the paperback exchange's founding.

Located beside the Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS) at 77 Silver Street, the paperback exchange was founded as a non-profit in September 2003 as a means of establishing a cash income for the historical society.

Since 2003, the paperback exchange has offered secondhand books at bargain prices to both members and non-members. The exchange is run entirely by volunteers, and all proceeds after paying the bills to keep the property functioning are donated to the historical society.

The idea is simple: customers can donate a book of their own to receive 50 percent of the book's listing price in paperback exchange credit. The credit can then be used to purchase books at the exchange at a discounted price––most of which end up costing less than a dollar.

Those who do not have store credit are still able to purchase books at half the listing price at the paperback exchange.

In an article penned by former CCHS President and Chenango County Historian Dale Storms, he said the idea of a paperback exchange came from the success of former Norwich bookstore First Edition's own paperback exchange, coupled with the society's need to pay the bills during hard times.