UPDATE: We made $4968.15 !!! The odd amount is due to the fact that we put out jars for donations.
I just got home from one of the three used book sales my Friends of the Library group holds each year. This one was indoors and we were busy! More advertising paid off. Such a great group of volunteers and nice book loving buyers. I especially love watching the children pick out books and get lost in reading them while they wait for their parents.
We raised at least $4800! That was the culmination of lots of work as all books and media sold were donated, sorted to see what to keep and what to pass on in our used book triage system, priced, boxed, moved to storage, moved our of storage and set up on tables for the sale. The donated used book and media triage at my library is interesting. First the library can take what they can use for the collection. They have had huge budget cuts and we are sending more their way. Then we pull out what we think we can sell. Then the literacy and outreach coordinator pulls what can be used for literacy programs or sent to county health centers for children, to homeless shelters or prisons, etc. The remainder gets sold for pulp - mostly the filthy, water or insect damaged, mildewed or just plain obsolete books.
Lots of work but a good result.
That's wonderful!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! We pay for all of the children's, adult & music programs as well as giving money for staff development/recognition and for adding materials to the collection. In the past we have paid for things like new window blinds, bike racks, etc. too.
DeleteJust for a minute I thought you'd read 2,013 books. I was totally impressed.
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm also retired and volunteer at a weekly used book sale at our Friends of the Library. Sometimes I read about 100 books a year, so maybe I'll get to 2013, who knows?
I've never read so much in my life, all kinds of books I'd never have thought of reading if they hadn't been donated.. . love it! Enjoyed your blog but it made me realize I don't have any real goals for the year so I'll try to come up with some. Or maybe just use yours. :}
2013 books would be quite an accomplishment! I didn't start counting until last week so maybe my memory could fill in a lot for those first 3 weeks of January LOL. A weekly book sale would be so much easier! It is great that you volunteer for your library.
DeleteWow, that's great, out last Friends sale netted us $860 ish and we thought that was good. Well , it was because we are in a rural area, so we had lots of generous folks. BTW, I am 60, and work part time in our little branch, 8 hours a week. No benefits, it's just called extra help. It is the best job I ever had, and why I didn't go into library science, I just don't know, since I've always been a huge reader and as a child my earliest and best memories are walking to our branch library, 1 mile from my home.
DeleteBest to you.
Wow, I love seeing the comments from members of other Friends groups! My group supports the main library in a large urban county with many library branches. We don't raise the most though we did raise $22,500 last year through book sales, dues and donations. I understand about small, rural branches as my Mom was very active with her similar branch and their fundraising produced results similar, if not smaller, than yours. It all matters though as public libraries are under siege in many areas.
DeleteOur public library system has a used bookstore called "Title Wave." I love going there; you can find bargains from 25 cents up to $5. It's well-loved here in our community. I always seems to find something I'm looking for. The store is held in a beautiful old library building that's in good condition, but because of its small size would probably otherwise be torn down.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a successful sale!
The Title Wave sound wonderful! I visited a similar but 3 story Friends used bookstore and coffee shop in Little Rock when our son lived there. He knew I'd want to see it. Most of our branches have ongoing sales in the lobby/circulation area but we can't able to do it at our branch unfortunately. Hence the mega sales events three times a year.
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