Used Book Sale Not The Same Old Story

The Friends of the District will host its quarterly book sale at the Indian Trails Public Library on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Donated books and used equipment from the library, ranging from computers to office furniture, will be sold. In addition to the quarterly sales, the Friends sell books year-round in a room on the first floor of the library. The organization also holds an annual sale of audiovisual items.

Quarterly sales average between $3,000 and $5,000 each, and sales from the used books room average between $400 and $600 per month.

“We haven’t made $5,000 in one of the quarterly book sales for a while,” Sue Hart, president of the Friends, said. “The economy is hurting sales. Even though we sell most hardcover books for $1, it's still expensive for some of our customers."

According to Hart, some of the art books are sold for as much as $15 each.

"Online sales are also hurting us," Hart continued. "People can scan the barcode of a book to find out how much it is selling for online, and can then decide if it will be cheaper to buy it here or through a website.”

The Friends' sale receives its books from two sources: the library’s collection and donations.

“As a public organization, we are not allowed by law to sell materials for profit,” Earl Sabes, the library’s public relations manager, said. “The library donates books, used equipment, CDs and DVDs to the Friends, and the Friends sell the items.”

“Items [books, CDs and DVDs] are removed from the library's collection and donated to the Friends for a few reasons,” Robin Smith, Indian Trails’ director for public services, said. “We donate the items that are worn out, and we also donate the excess books. When a new book by Danielle Steel or John Grisham comes out, we might order 40 or 50 copies of the new title so everyone can read it. When the popularity drops in a few months, we only keep three or four copies of the new title and donate the rest.”

Items with low turnover are also donated to the Friends for the book sale. “We can run a report to see when a book was last checked out,” Smith explained. “If a book hasn’t been checked out since 2008, then it might not be something people want to read.”

“We donate older books for computers, medical information and financial advice, because people want more current information when they go to the library,” Smith said. “Cookbooks and history books don’t get removed unless they’re worn out, as people still read them. The library has a finite amount of space, so we need to weed out the collection.”

According to Smith, the library had a total of 249,774 items in its collection as of the end of May. That same month, 2,362 items were removed from the collection and 2,284 items were added. Items include books, CDs and DVDs, but not magazines.

The Friends' book sale also includes books that have been donated to the library.

“People clear out their homes, and they have a hard time getting rid of books,” Smith said.

The Friends sort through the donated books upon arrival. “If a donated book is too old or worn out for the library, we’ll sell it at the sale,” Hart said. "Otherwise, the book is given to the library if it's something we think patrons will want."

The Friends use the sale proceeds to purchase equipment and fund programs for the library. Previous purchases include a transport van for the library to visit schools, nursing homes and shut-ins; summer reading programs; DVD shelving; and a subscription to ProQuest.

“We try to supplement the library’s budget. There are things the library wants, but maybe there’s no room in the budget,” Hart said. “We make the purchases so the patrons can benefit.”

Hart also enjoys the book sales, which are held four times per year to accommodate the number of books donated to the library.

"Customers' faces light up when they see an author they're collecting," Hart said. "The book sales are a lot of fun, and I just meet the greatest people."

The used book sale runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday (preview sale for Friends of the Library; join for $3), 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, when a $3 bag sale will be held.