The Park Ridge Public Library is permanently pulling its adult music and audiobook CD collections from the shelves, ending a format that has seen circulation plummet since 2019.

Before the items disappear for good, the Friends of the Park Ridge Public Library will hold a one-time Legacy Media Sale on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the library's Reader Services department at 20 S. Prospect Ave. Music CDs, audiobooks on CD and Playaways (portable devices preloaded with audiobooks) will be sold directly off the shelves, with all proceeds going to the Friends.

Library Executive Director Joanna Bertucci told the Journal & Topics that music CD circulation has dropped roughly 53% since 2019, while physical audiobook and Playaway use fell about 76% over the same period. The library's 2025 annual report counted 11,156 music and audiobook CDs in the collection alongside nearly 970,000 digital music and audiobook items available to cardholders.

"Given those trends, we made the decision to discontinue these adult collections and repurpose the shelving for new collections and services that better reflect current patron use and demand," Bertucci said.

The decision is not new. The plan was first disclosed at the library board's June 16 meeting, according to the board packet, when Bertucci reported the Friends would hold a pop-up sale in August "as these legacy materials are weeded from the Library's collection."

Children's Playaways and physical audiobooks are not part of the sale. Bertucci said demand for those formats remains strong in the children's department. Adults who still want CDs can request interlibrary loans from neighboring libraries or use the Libby and Palace Project apps for digital audiobooks.

Mayor Marty Maloney, City Clerk Michael Lupo and all seven alderpersons posed for a photo flashing their Park Ridge Public Library cards to promote the sale. Ald. Lauren Rapisand (6th Ward) showed off her digital card.

Friends co-president Ron Stempkowski said in the library's Aug. 17 press release announcing the event: "Everybody has an album they haven't heard since college, and there's a good chance it's sitting in one of these shelves … This is a one-time-only sale, so once these are gone, they're gone."

The library has not announced what will replace the freed shelving.