Library Friends book sale a great success

ROSEBURG, Ore. – This month’s Winter Book Sale set a sales record for the Friends of the Roseburg Public Library.

The three-day event raised $2,807.50, with most books priced at $1 the first two days. Everything was 50 cents or free on the sale’s final day. The Friends also sold books published within the last three years for $5 each and colorful cloth book bags made and donated by new volunteer Gloria that sold for $5 each.

Proceeds from all book sales benefit Roseburg Public Library’s programs and projects. Sale proceeds were used to order a new public copier/printer last week. The sales are so successful because of a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes. This month’s sale lasted 21 hours, but volunteers donated 160 hours in the weeks leading up to the event in addition to 130 hours during book sale week, according to Friends of the Roseburg Public Library Vice President Marcy Tassano and Library Director Kris Wiley.

The process started with donations received from community members. Tassano and Wiley say folks always go above and beyond to share popular items in great condition.

Friends of the Library volunteers sort every donation and set aside possible additions for the library collection. Then they determine whether items will be sold during the quarterly sales in the Ford Room, at the continuous Friends Book Store inside the library or through the Friends’ amazon.com store online.

For this sale, more than 200 boxes of better-quality books were moved by helpers from storage into the Ford Room. Typically, about 140 boxes are moved for a quarterly sale. More volunteers removed the books from boxes and staged them on tables. Throughout the event, volunteers tidied tables and handled transactions.

When the sale ended at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, there was a flurry of activity to clear the Ford Room. All of the free books, including everything in the Friends Book Store, were boxed for distribution to area thrift stores.

All remaining better books were moved into the Friends Book Store to be sold for the regular store price of 50 cents. That upgraded the quality of books in the store and will help the Friends manage the tremendous amount of donations being received, according to Wiley and Tassano.

The Friends accept donations at the library’s front desk during operating hours. Encyclopedias aren’t accepted because of their weight and bulk, but they offer a matching service for encyclopedias. Call 541-492-7051 to discuss donating or receiving a set.

“A huge round of applause to all the volunteers who helped set up, take down and run this sale. And a big thank you to all the book lovers -- one who came all the way from Canada -- for their support of Roseburg Public Library,” said Tassano.

The next book sale, set for early March, is a bargain sale of library withdrawals and well-loved books. Most items will be priced at 50 cents or less.

The library will be closed Friday, Dec. 23, through Monday, Dec. 26. Regular hours will resume Tuesday, Dec. 27.