Library hosts annual book sale
The friends of the library purchased a Harry Potter-themed guitar as their main item in this year’s silent auction during the annual book sale.
COSHOCTON – Every year the first weekend of August, the friends of the library host the annual book sale on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This year’s sale will continue for the rest of Friday until 5 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 4 from 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and is held in the library basement.
“This is a fundraiser for the library and the branch,” said Helen Wright, a member of friends of the library. “The books we sell are donated by the public and we get the books that are also being discarded from the library.”
Books are on sale anywhere from $0.25 to $1 with some books being as low as $0.10. They also have a dollar room where people can pay a dollar only for any items they can carry.
The book store has everything an avid reader could possibly want. There is romance, fiction, non-fiction, mystery, children’s books, historical books, and other genres. The sale also has DVDs, crafts, and music.
“The money that we raise, we have a budget for different departments at the library,” said Wright. “We fill that budget every year and we use it for children, teens, and adult programing throughout the year. This money is used for general use, anything the library needs.”
This year, they also have a silent auction where they are auctioning off higher-priced books and other items. The most popular item is a Harry Potter-themed guitar that the library purchased for $50, which is the minimum bid. The winner will be announced at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, which is when the book store closed. There are a total of 21 items in the silent auction.
“It takes a lot of work,” said Brenda Blanford, president of the friends of the library. “We really work on this all year long. People bring things in to us and we sort them once a week. We keep the good stuff and get rid of the stuff that maybe smells musty or is damaged.”
The Saturday before the book sale, members of the friends of the library meet in the basement and begin setting up all the books and other items that are moved into the large meeting room from where they are stored, known as the dungeon.
“All the books left in the dungeon get recycled,” said Blanford. “Those are the ones that are not very popular usually. We kind of know by now which books will sell and which ones won’t. Others that won’t sell, we put them on the shelves in the library.”
After the book sale, the friends of the library will fill a truck and take the books from the dungeon to a local recycling center.
Category: Clubs & Organizations
