Northampton Area Public Library, 1615 Laubach Ave., typically holds its major fundraiser, an auction/basket social, in the fall at Northampton Banquet & Event Center but was unable to do so in 2020 under social-distancing policies placed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Instead of letting the 2021 event face indefinite rescheduling, the library will debut an online spring auction April 26-May 2.

The virtual event is open to all, and the proceeds will go to fund the library’s operating, collections and programming budgets. Participants can interact with the auction by bidding on a selected item and monitoring if other bidders raise the price throughout the auction’s run. The bidding will be open until 8 p.m. May 2, and the item will go to the last highest bidder.

Although this is a fundraiser put on by the library, there is a far range of items besides books up for auction. The categories include collectibles, crafted items, home goods, toys for kids, items for pets, experiences, health and wellness, music, sports, adventure, arts and crafts, business, entertainment, fashion and food and drink.

The library will continue to update the list until April 26. Some hot-ticket items up for bidding are four all-day admission passes to Kalahari Waterpark, six admission tickets to Eastern State Penitentiary, a dam release rafting trip for two at Pocono Whitewater Rafting and several home-crafted goodies.

Many of the items up for auction were donated by businesses and community members, while the handcrafted goods were largely designed and constructed by the library staff. Susan Sentz, library director, is incredibly grateful and “thankful for the community’s support with the donations.”

The library staff is hoping to see continued support through the auction.

To view auction items, visit napl.betterworld.org/auctions/napl-spring-auction. The auction is available for early viewing. All winners will be notified by the library May 3 on an individual basis.

For more information on this event and others, visit northamptonapl.org or call 610-262-7537.