Duane Hicks
Need a little something to do this long weekend?
Why not go through your book shelves and pick out some titles you’ll never read again and donate them to a good cause?
The “Friends of the Library” will hold its annual book sale on Saturday, May 27 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Fort Frances Public Library, and residents can drop donations off there starting next week.
As long as they’re in good condition, all sorts of books of welcomed as donations except encyclopedias, which just do not sell anymore, said “Friends” president Laurel Halvorsen.
The book sale is the group’s major fundraiser each year.
The money raised is used to enhance library programming and provide “extras” that the library’s annual budget does not allow, noted Halvorsen.
“Our mandate is to help the library, but we can’t use the money for everyday expenses or operating costs,” she explained.
“So we help put on events and will help with projects.”
“Friends” supports a number of children’s library programs, sponsors guest authors and performances by musicians, and provides refreshments for all sorts of events, including the always-popular “Teddy Bear Picnic” in late June.
The library also provides a wide variety of programs and services.
Of course, donated books also need book-lovers to buy them.
Books won’t be individually priced, Halvorsen said. Instead, people can make donations for whatever books they pick out.
“We find the community is very generous and we actually do better with donations,” she noted.
It’s also a lot easier on the volunteers working the book sale. Patrons can just give them a donation and leave–no adding up book prices and no money counting required.
While those who come out next Saturday will get first crack at the selection, whatever books aren’t sold that day will remain available for part of the following week.
Any leftover books then will be passed on to other organizations.
“I’ll take some to the ‘Strawberry Social’ and some to the Rainycrest tuck shop,” said Halvorsen.
“We then send the rest off the Canadian Diabetes Association–the books get sent on, they don’t get thrown out,” she stressed.
“We try to make sure other organizations get the benefit of the donations if we don’t end up selling them,” Halvorsen added.
“We don’t just get rid of them at the end of the sale.”
