Friends of the Library Launch New Spring Book Sale

Photo By: Tim King

(SALEM) - The Friends of the Salem Public Library are offering even more of a good thing in 2006.

A major sale of used books, formerly an annual event sponsored by the group, will be offered in the spring and fall in 2006. The Spring Book Sale is coming up on May 5th-7th in Anderson Rooms A&B on the lower level of Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE.

Sale times are:

• 1:00-5:00 PM Friday, May 5th
• 10:00 AM-5:00 PM Saturday, May 6th
• 1:00-4:00 PM Sunday, May 7th

Bargain hunters and book lovers of all ages will find thousands of books in a variety of genres, children's, mystery, popular fiction, classic fiction, romance, large print, true crime, cooking, gardening, photography, history, science fiction, art and more.

Most hardcovers are priced at $1. Paperbacks and children's books are 50 cents, and all audio-visual items are just 25 cents each. On Sunday, the deals get even better as books are sold for $2 a bag.

This sale will be operated with no Friends Night or Executive Collection. These will be planned as a part of the larger sale in October. The sale has sponsorship support from Roth's Family Market.

"This Spring Book Sale is really an indication of the generosity of the community," said Roger Heusser, president of the Friends of the Library. "The majority of the books we sell have been donated to the Friends by people who believe in the library and want to support library programming by supporting the Friends. We've been getting so many donations, we simply have to have more than one sale to keep up."

This fundraising event benefits special projects and programs at Salem Public Library. It is one of two major sources of revenue for the all-volunteer Friends of the Library, which also operates a used book store on the main level at the Central Library.

The Friends of the Library are the primary funders of the annual Summer Reading Club that encourages more than 5,000 children to maintain their reading skills during summer vacation. The Friends also support the annual Great Library Camp-In, A World of Music at the Library concert series, the monthly Library newsletter, the annual Library Volunteer Recognition Dinner, and the monthly Family Festival of the Arts program series.

"A number of important library programs depend on the support of the Friends of the Library," said Library Director Gail Warner. "We appreciate the work these volunteers do for the book sale and all year round on behalf of Salem Public Library."

Additional details about Friends of the Salem Public Library and about the book sale are available in the April issue of the Salem Public Library newsletter, at the Friends Bookstore in person or by phone at 503-362-1755 or online at www.open.org/~friends.