It is September, and for us here at the library that means that our big annual Used Book Sale is here. Yes, it will be on Saturday, September 20th from 9-2. It is the culmination of a year's work of back-breaking work for a couple of our staff members (a big shout-out to Chris, Cindy and Natalie) who sift through the surprising number of books we are given. They decide whether to add it to the collection, keep for the sale, pass along to another non-profit, or trash.
Trash? We throw out books? On occasion we get a few books as donations that are in really bad condition - buggy, wet, moldy - and we can't sell them, and we can't donate them along, so we are forced to put them to rest.
But for the vast majority of our donations, the annual sale is a chance for fresh, new life for a book. Once we have them all out on the tables, it is like a popularity contest, a vast adoption day for books looking for a new reader to take them home. Each one has the same chance as the next, but sometimes jewels are overlooked, and sometimes a flashy cover catches the eye of an unwary reader. But there is one constant. Everyone is so delighted at their find.
I have worked the cash register at the sale for 6 years, and every person comes through the line delighted with the treasures they have found at the sale. A few whisper about how their husband/wife will roll their eyes when they find out how many more books are being brought into the family. A few will moan about not having room for another book, but unable to resist one or two more. A few gripe at the cost (it isn't a dollar a bag until late into the sale, and this year, it will be a dollar a bag on Monday the 22nd as well), but most are delighted at how many they can get for so little. We are just happy that these books have found a new home.
So be sure to be here bright and early - we have some ravenous buyers first thing who get the cream of the crop. And bring your own bag - we will give you one free book! Tell me that you read this (there will be a brief test) and I will give you your whole stack for free!
