Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library (FOL) will hold a Members Only pre-sale book sale Saturday, May 17, from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., in advance of its June book sale on June 12 and 14. The pre-sale is a member appreciation event, as well as an effort to encourage new memberships and renewals.
“In March 2013, we relocated the book sales from Leigh Mall to upstairs at the library and increased their frequency,” said Friends book sale chair Sandy Imes. “Last year was a great success, and we are moving with great momentum towards meeting our 2014 fundraising goal.
“The donated books are organized by genre — best-selling fiction and non-fiction, biographies and memoirs, history and sports literature, self-help, science fiction, young adult, cookbooks and children’s books — with several of the more popular ones alphabetized by author to make the browsing experience easier. We are offering this ‘members only’ event as a thank you for the generous support and positive response that we’ve received for the book sales.”
For a fee of $5, members with “active” status at the pre-sale may fill a large brown paper bag supplied by the FOL with selections from hundreds of gently-used paperbacks, hardbacks and audio books in nearly every genre of literature. For non-members, the cost to participate is $5, plus the annual $12 single membership fee.
“Since January, we’ve seen a rise in membership renewal and an increase in new memberships thanks to the efforts of our membership committee and our active volunteers. FOL boasts a current membership of 357 with a year-end goal of 400, which we believe to be realistic and attainable,” said FOL membership chair Christian Heinkel.
How membership helps
In the last year, monies raised through the FOL book sales have funded continued education opportunities for library staff members and provided refreshments and supplies for library events, including a reception celebrating the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the main branch library building, the annual Official’s Luncheon and free programs such as two recently-held African-American-themed quilt lectures.
Donors are encouraged to drop off gently-used books throughout the year at the library’s front desk during business hours — Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Book sales are held upstairs at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, located at 314 Seventh St. N. in Columbus, on Thursdays 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Saturdays 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on the following dates: June 12 and 14, July 10 and 12, Sept. 11 and 13, Oct. 9 and 11, Nov. 13 and 15.
Learn more at lowndeslibrary.org or visit Friends of the Columbus Lowndes Public Library on Facebook. For additional information or interviews, contact Imes at 618-444-2591 or [email protected] or Friends president, Jo Shumake, at 662-328-1927 or [email protected].
The Friends is a volunteer organization dedicated to the active promotion and support of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System. It works to build and maintain an association of persons interested in the library, its services, facilities and needs and to develop supplemental funding to assist in promoting the use and enjoyment of the library by the community.
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