Book Sales

ALBUQUERQUE, NM


The Friends for the Public Library have opened "Books Alfresco," an outdoor patio connected to the Main Library Bookstore. A book cart specially designed for outdoor use is stocked with books and magazines offered for sale at the usual bargain basement prices. Patio tables, chairs, and benches are available for customers who wish to browse while eating their brown bag lunches. This bookstore expansion targets downtown business people who enjoy reading.

NEWINGTON, CT


Friends of the Lucy Robbins Welles Library have added a "Shopping Fair" to the festivities at their annual booksale. They have invited well-known vendors of gifts and personal items to display their wares at the Senior Center across the street from the library. A portion of the proceeds from the sales will go to the Friends.

BAKERSFIELD, CA


Friends of the Southwest Library reminded their newsletter readers that "Holiday magazines add an extra several hundred dollars to our magazine sale proceeds each year. When you have finished with your holiday periodicals -- crafts, cooking, decorating -- please remember the Friends! We will store them until next fall."

SANTA CRUZ, CA


Last summer Friends held a double book sale at the Aptos Branch of the Santa Cruz Library. Adults were welcome to browse the outdoor tables, but no adult was allowed indoors at the "Kids Only" sale unless accompanied by a child. For several weeks large colorfully decorated boxes in the children's areas of the library had reminded patrons to donate their children's outgrown books, so that the "Kids Only" area would be well stocked. The sale rooms were crowded with young readers, some with coupons for a free book, which they earned by achieving their reading goals in the summer reading program.

DADE CITY, FL


It was Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem in May at the Hugh Embry Branch Library, as the Friends held a special book sale for mystery lovers to commemorate the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859).

COVINGTON, WA


Friends of the Covington Library also participated in a parade that coincided with their book sale -- this fall's inauguration parade celebrating the incorporation of the new city of Covington. The library marchers wore Dewey decimal numbers on their backs and tossed candy treats to the crowd. Periodically, the group was called back into formation by the library director’s whistle and the order to "Sort!" A "Face left" followed by an "About face" allowed the crowds on both sides of the street to check the marchers’ shelving skills.

MARBLEHEAD, MA


Friends of the Abbot Public Library invite senior citizens for two hours of "Seniors Only" shopping at their used book sale, with a special incentive of 20% off. The "Seniors Only" time was held at 10 a.m. on the second day of the public book sale, with the doors open to the general public at noon.

NORTH WILKESBORO, NC


Friends of the Wilkes County Library teamed up with the Wilkes Art Gallery for a joint sale. The one-day event featured used books sold by the Friends and a "Trash-to-Treasure" sale of donated yard sale items to benefit the gallery.

MOKENA, IL


Faced with a large number of romance paperbacks left over from their book sale, Friends of the Mokena Library invested $3 in a roll of ribbon and assembled the paperbacks into bundles of seven books each. Here's their report: "We set up a table near the front entrance of the library starting January 23, charged $1 per bundle (payable at the circulation desk, so we didn't even have to man the table!), and made more than $90 in two weeks." Now they're considering a similar project with the large number of leftover Goosebumps books, perhaps with an orange ribbon for Hallowe'en.

MIDLAND, MI


From the Friends of the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library: “Remember, if you were looking for that certain book, and didn’t find it among the thousands that were out, all hope is not gone. With the Search-A-Book service that is available through the Friends, for a pre-paid $2 fee, a search for a specific book will be carried on for a full year. If we find it, you are notified and arrangements are made for the cost of the book and delivery. Since we never know what we will get in, we are sometimes able to find out-of-print titles as well as some of the latest from the best-seller lists. Search-A-Book request forms are available from the Friends or at the checkout desk in the library.”

KINGFISHER, OK


The Friends of the Kingfisher County Library have begun a new service -- patrons who wish to donate magazines or books for the Friends sale can call the library and have their donations picked up.

YORBA LINDA, CA


The silent auctions at the Book Corner, the bookshop of the Friends of the Yorba Linda Public Library, continue to draw interest. Special books and items are in a center display case at the shop. Bidding begins on the first day of the month and ends 15 minutes before closing on the last day of the month that the shop is open. The April auction included an autographed baseball and some Disney books and raised $313. In July they planned to have children’s books in the auction, with an upper age limit for bidders.