Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale Pulls in $132,037.69 in Sales
May 1, 2017 — School teachers, home-schoolers, book re-sellers and book lovers showed up in force despite a rainy week to boost sales totaling $132,037.69 at the annual Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale April 26-30.
That’s the third-highest sales total in the Friends sales history. The record was $147,337.21 in fall 2015. Proceeds from the Friends sales help pay for concerts, children’s programs, author events and library improvements. Most recently, the Friends donated $500,000 toward the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library renovation.
The spring book sale at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds E*Plex began with record-breaking sales during the Friends Preview Night Tuesday, April 25. In just three hours, Friends members and people joining that night to be among the first shoppers racked up $25,957.60 in sales.
The thousands of books, CDs, DVDs and audiobooks in the spring and fall sales are donated through the year by private individuals and book store closeouts; the Library weeds out older or extra copies of materials. People drop off donations at any of the 10 Library branches across Greene County, Friends collect them in pickup trucks weekly and haul them to a facility where Friends members sort, price and stage them in tractor-trailers for the next sale.
“I want to thank the Friends of the Library volunteers who work every week to pick up and sort materials for the next sale,” said Gay Wilson, planning and development librarian of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. She is the Library’s liaison to the Friends. “We are tremendously lucky to have their support for the Library and for the community.”
The public can donate books and audiovisual for future Friends sales at any of the 10 library branches.
The Friends Fall Book Sale is Oct. 18-22, 2017 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds E*Plex.