“It’s gone very well so far,” said Susan Howe, president of the Friends of the Temple Public Library, “We have had some really good days.”
The book sale - held at the Temple Mall in a vacant store between the food court and the main entrance - runs through 3 p.m. today. The sale intended to raise money to support summer children’s programs, bookmobiles and other special library needs.
“The library director, Judy Duer, likes to say the Friends provide the ‘frosting on the cake’ - we give what the library cannot afford,” Howe said. “All the money goes to support the library.”
Howe attributes the good sales days to a lot of hard work by Friends volunteers especially the co-chairwomen, Susan Long, Sue Judd and Elyse Jensen.
“The co-chairs and other volunteers have worked virtually every Tuesday morning since last September,” Howe said.
Books, donated all year long, have been collected and sorted into categories in preparation for this sale. Long and Judd said that it took four moving vans to move the massive collection to the mall.
“We raised about $21,000, not counting change, by 9 p.m. Friday night,” said Long.
The book deals continue to sweeten as the sale draws to a close. The last day of the sale, Labor Day Monday offers a great deal on books to readers who can fill a brown paper bag full for $5 a bag.
“Some people have this down to a science,” Judd said. “It’s a good deal if there are any good books left and these are nice books. We make sure the books are clean and in good shape.”
The variety of children’s books brought some parents and children together over a good book. Greg Trollip read “Never Pat a Bear - A Book about Signs” to his 4-year-old daughter Lila Grace, who started school on Friday, at the book sale Sunday.
“What does this sign say?” Lila asked her father, pointing at a colorful drawing in the book.
“The road’s closed,” Greg responded as he squatted next to his daughter holding the book.
“That means I shouldn’t go there,” Lila replied.
On Sunday afternoon children’s books were still heaped on folding tables and bookshelves - mystery authors such as Mary Higgins Clark still survived on some of the shelves - thriller author John Grisham had yet to be taken on a new adventure - and Bill Cosby still had a zinger to deliver. All of these authors continued to draw in readers to the sale.
“We came for the books,” Lois Weed of Oenaville said. “I was here last year and found a good book as well.”
Weed points to her friend Mary Rash, also of Oenaville, who carried a full basket of books and said,” As you can see - she is the reader.”
“I read anything,” Rash said. “I wish I could have been here when (the sale) first started. I wish I could have been the first through the door.”
Volunteers like Howe worked diligently moving books from the bottom shelves to the top as books were purchased at half price on Sunday afternoon and checking customers out.
Howe said while the library had plenty of volunteers on hand to help with the book sale, but the long Labor Day weekend made volunteers harder to find.
“(Volunteers) are harder to find with people traveling,” Howe said. “This is the last weekend of the summer and people are enjoying it.”
ccarlisle@temple-telegram.com
