Annual Library Book Sale Scheduled For July

By Nancy K. Crevier

Bibliophiles all over the tri-state area are rubbing their hands together in gleeful anticipation of the 33rd Annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale, one of the largest in the region. Once a Labor Day institution in town, the Annual Book Sale has in recent years been held in the early days of summer, to take advantage of the spacious and comfortable venue offered by Reed Intermediate School on Trades Lane.

This year, the sale will be held Saturday, July 12, through Wednesday, July 16, at RIS. While donations for the sale have been noticeably down this year, buyers will still find a wide selection of good quality books, said Friends’ president Mary Maki. “We will have at least 120,000 books, including rare, collectible, young adult, fiction and nonfiction, plus all of the DVDs and CDs, and special interest books,” she said. Donations are accepted right up until the day of the sale. “If people are still doing spring cleaning or decluttering after the winter, we will happily take any book donations,” said Ms Maki. Book donations can be left on the cart parked just outside of the Children’s Department at the library, or pick up can be arranged by calling the library at 426-4533 and leaving a message for the Friends of the Library.

In response to requests by patrons of the book sale over the years, the 2008 book sale will feature extended hours. Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13, the sale will run from 9 am to 5 pm; Monday and Tuesday, July 14 and 15, sale hours will be 9 am to 7 pm, and on Wednesday, from 9 am to 1 pm. “We have had customers in past years disappointed because they couldn’t get to the sale after work,” said Ms Maki, “so we are hoping to accommodate those people by staying open later on Monday and Tuesday. We are constantly tweaking, listening to customers, and making adjustments every year that we hope will only improve the sale,” she said.

There is a $10 admission fee charged only on Saturday, July 12, between the hours of 9 am and noon, and $5 from noon to closing. There is no admission fee the other days. For the second year, the Friends will once again accept Visa or Master Card, as well as local checks and cash.

As has been true over the years, Monday, July 14, will be half-price day, and Tuesday will be “$5 bag day.” Wednesday is traditionally free day.

The thousands of hardcover and paperback books include classics, mysteries, science fiction, romance, art, architecture, history, biography, cooking, health, gardening, finance, travel, computers, and religion. All of the books are sorted, classified, alphabetized, and displayed in more than 80 categories that make finding a book a pleasurable treasure hunt, rather than a tiresome chore. “We are known for being one of the most organized book sales in the area,” said Pat Marshall, a member of the Friends, and Book Sale volunteer. “We have a structure of people available to help. Knowledgeable chair persons and volunteers for each category will be on the floor of the sale in the RIS cafetorium and adjacent rooms to assist customers at all times.”

Longtime Book Sale attendees will notice some smaller changes this year, all of which the Friends hope will make the event even better than before. “The collectibles and rare book collections will be displayed together this year, rather than as separate collections,” said Ms Maki. “We are also going to be integrating some of the older collectibles into the other categories,” she said. For example, a person looking for a collectible older cookbook will now look in the cookbook collection as well as in the collectibles.

“We have a particularly wonderful number of science fiction and fantasy books that have been donated this year, and the DVD collection is also going to be great this year,” Ms Marshall noted.

The Annual Book Sale is the largest fundraiser for the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library every year. Money raised at the book sale goes toward purchasing books and adding to the other collections at the library, as well as other special events throughout the year.

“We are fortunate to have the RIS school with its great facility, air conditioning, and lots of free parking, and to have the support of the RIS Principal Donna Denniston, as well as that of the community,” said Ms Maki. “We also must thank Dunkin’ Donuts and Andrea’s Bake Shop, both of whom provide coffee, doughnuts, and pastries to our volunteers in the week preceding the sale as we set up, and on the first day of the sale,” she said.

Although the sale is scheduled slightly later than last year’s July 4 sale, it is still timely enough for avid readers to take advantage and stock up on good vacation reads, Ms Marshall pointed out. “In these economic times, too, where else can you get a practically new book for such a good price? Are you going to spend $24 on a new book that you could buy here for just $4?” she asked. Many of the books donated and for sale are gift quality, said Ms Marshall, and the bestsellers are only six months behind The New York Times bestseller list.

“We have textbooks that college kids like to pick up for the fall, and test prep books, so people can save on shipping costs by buying at the book sale, and save on gas prices by not having to drive to a book store out of town,” she said. “A devoted reader is not going to cut back by not buying books, so here’s a way to stay engaged and save money.”

For more information about the 33rd Annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale, visit the website at chboothlibrary.org/booksale.php.