Eager book lovers, including myself, waited in the lobby of the Columbia Public Library on Wednesday, Aug. 22, for its afternoon book sale to begin. At 12 p.m. sharp, the volunteer group, Friends of the Columbia Public Library, rolled out seven carts containing paperback books, hardbacks, CDs, audio books and DVDs. People began searching through them immediately, piling as many as 10 books into their arms. Anyone could easily tell that these customers are regular book sale attendees.
The carts were organized according to their genre and price, and each held an abundance of items. One of the carts included reference books and textbooks that were priced as marked, and another featured a variety of paperbacks and hardbacks that, unless otherwise marked, were each $1 and $2, respectively. A couple others contained books also posted as priced as marked, but most seemed to be under $2. The DVDs were priced at $0.50 for the DVD super sale.
Friends of the Columbia Public Library formed these book sales to help raise money for the library. Volunteers organized and managed the sale and everything they earned was used to buy new books and materials for the library and assist in funding various programs. With money from sales over the years, the Friends ended up donating $85,000 to the Columbia Public Library this year. All of this information can be found in a pamphlet given out by Friends of the Columbia Public Library.
You can donate your used books, audio books, CDs and DVDs by bringing them to the Circulated Desk at the library. If the donations are in relatively good condition and are useful to the library, they will be added into the library system. The others will be put into the upcoming sale. Donating is a great way to create more space on your bookshelf and give some of your beloved old books a new home.
The Friends host the book sales every Wednesday and Saturday at the Columbia Public Library. On the first Wednesday of the month, the sale is from 12-7 p.m. with the following Wednesday sales being from noon-3 p.m. On Saturdays, the sales are from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The larger annual fall book sales are happening the weekend following Labor Day.
Hardbacks are $1, paperbacks $0.50, and CDs, audio books and DVDs will be $0.25 for the weekend sale. The fall sale on Sept. 8 is from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for members of the Friends of the Columbia Public Library and noon – 4:45 p.m. for the public. The Sept. 9 sale is from 1-4:45 p.m. and the 10th begins at 12 and ends at 6 p.m. If you’re striving to be a teacher, have some younger family members, or are just a lover of children’s books, you may be interested in the children’s book sale on Oct. 13 and 14. Children’s books and DVDs will be priced $0.50 or less.
If you’re interested in joining Friends of the Columbia Public Library, their application can be found on their pamphlet at the book sales. Members receive first access to the sales, and can gain valuable volunteer experience. You don’t need to be a member to enjoy the sales, though.
While the book sale was smaller than I expected, I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the sale and the books they sold. I ended up buying one of the $1 books, but I will definitely be going back to get some more books and possibly some DVDs. I would highly recommend checking it out if you have some time.
_Edited by Siena DeBolt | sdebolt@themaneater.com_
