Chapter One Hundred Twenty Four, in which a Book Sale is attended

Today was the rain date for the local public library book sale. This was good for your Bibliothecary, as the original date was last week, and we were out of town. As the sale is held outside in front of the library, the cool rain of last week caused the postponement, being detrimental to books, though probably more comfortable for book-fanciers than the humid heat of today.

The week before last we had been given an advance look at many of the books by the librarian, and bought a handful. The price she asks is ridiculously low (more on that to follow) and we were happy to pay a bit more for the privilege of an early private shopping experience. Still we wanted to make an appearance, and to check for anything that might have been overlooked.

Just before the opening at 9:00am we walked the block and a half to the library, and there was already many people filling up their arms and bags and boxes. A few people who had come to our bookshop were seen and greeted. We plucked about five books that caught our eye. The librarian saw us and introduced us to one of the board members, who shook our hand and commented that we had helped the library in many ways. In just the past month, we have raised over $175 for the library, and donated about 500 volumes for the stacks and the sale.

The volunteer who added our books up at checkout said we owed $1.25. We questioned that number. She pointed out that a couple of the books were hardcover and cost fifty cents each! We told her to get out of town. She recalculated and decided the correct price was probably $2.25. She was probably correct, but we had already written out our check for ten dollars. No, thank you, we did not need change. There is no conceivable reason not to take possession of a few nice books and make a nominal donation to support the library and its programs all at the same time. The librarian thanked us enthusiastically for coming.

The event was well attended, and we need to try to ride that success at our bookshop. Perhaps next year we can hold a sale on the same day and donate half of the proceeds to the library. In addition, we would like to help improve the sale. An indoor venue would be invaluable, obviously to avoid another postponement due to weather, but also to allow more set-up time, a longer selling period, and an overall better shopping experience. A greater number of donations would also be pursued. The community has lots of potential for growth, and this book sale is just one example and an easy step to take.