The Friends of the Library book sale starts this week on Thursday, June 26, through Sunday, June 29, at the old Sun Appliance building next to Arby’s at 1106 W State Road 2 in La Porte. Whether you’re looking to add to your collection or to buy a gift for a fellow bookworm without emptying your wallet, the book sale is the place to buy some books while showing your support for the library.
The book sale raises money for the La Porte County Public Library’s many important programs that aren’t covered through government funds. One big example is the library’s popular summer reading program.
“We use the funds when we bring in someone and they require a fee - even a small fee, like an honorarium for mileage,” La Porte County Public Library Director Fonda Owens said. “That’s how we bring folks into the community. For the summer reading program, we use the funds to pay for incentives for reading [since] we can’t take that out of the operating fund."
The Friends of the Library is an organization of library supporters separate from library staff. They volunteer, but their main contribution is through donations from book sales. Of course, being a member has its perks.
“The Thursday sale is for [Friends of the Library] members only,” Friends of the Library treasurer Ann Smith said. “If you don’t have a membership, you can purchase one on Thursday. If you buy them ahead of time, they’re $8, but if you wait until Thursday, it’s $10.”
The book sale is modestly priced, asking only $1 for adult hardbacks, $0.50 for adult paperbacks or children’s hardbacks, and $0.25 for romance or children’s paperbacks. The book sale also carries a variety of nonfiction books, from cookbooks to gardening to Christian to history, and large print books. Non-print items, such as DVDs and audiobooks, are available for purchase, too.
“It’s really economical,” Smith said.
The annual summer book sale isn’t the only one the Friends organize. They often do book sales when there are local festivals happening, such as the Sunflower Fair in La Porte or the Farmers’ Fest in Rolling Prairie. All year long, the Friends never stop selling books. Each branch of the library has at least a shelf of books for the Friends’ continuous book sale.
The book sale starts on Thursday, June 26, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the Members-Only sale, and will be open to the public on Friday, June 27, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, June 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, June 29, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.