FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville Free Library is hosting the second of its biannual basement book sales from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The upcoming event has brought in thousands of works of literature that will be on sale, including donations of books about the Revolutionary War and American Civil War, a collection of vegan cookbooks, and in separate sections children’s picture books and pocket paperbacks for teens.
There will also be a holiday-themed display and racks containing puzzles, books on tape, video games, and unopened DVDs to load up on. As far as music to check out, there will be a display with classical music releases for lovers of that genre and other CDs alphabetized by first name of the recording artist, so, for example, Tori Amos would appear under “T,” not “A.”
Another section will showcase favorite books of the library’s volunteers, and a book nook exclusively touts publication dates landing within the current decade.
Volunteer Barbara Harris, who is partial to genres like history and science fiction, said the donated items are meticulously weeded through, curated and stocked in the various bookcases, bins and endcaps of the Orchard Street library’s basement. She said the selections are not “jumbled” like some garage sales she’s been to and that everything on sale will be like new and buyable at bargain prices.
The listed prices for the approaching sale include $2 for hardcovers, $2 for audiobooks, and a dollar for regular-sized paperbacks.
The library’s operation and facilities manager, Laurel Flanagan, said that the book sales on the premises always present a variety of books but that visitors will not have to spend a wealth of time sorting through the displays.
“This is the result of sustained years of dedicated volunteers who really took ownership in making this really organized,” Flanagan said.
The book sales raise money that goes toward the operation of the Fayetteville Free Library. Flanagan said another purpose of the events is to promote literacy and simply get books in people’s hands.
Any remaining books that go unsold either enter the rotation for future book sales or are brought upstairs to the library’s book boutique, donated to Little Free Libraries, delivered to local nursing homes if of interest to their residents, or recycled to make room for new arrivals on the shelves.
Because books previously purchased in stores are donated, received for free by the library, and resold, Flanagan calls the basement sales the “ultimate recycling event.”
“I think books that aren’t read are kind of lonely, so the more books we can get out to the world, the better,” Harris said.
People can make donations of books or other materials by calling the library’s main number 315-637-6374 and setting up an appointment to drop them off. The donations will be set aside or discarded if the covers are bent and the pages are too torn and tattered, or if the books are moldy or reeking of cigarette smoke.
Volunteers will be at Saturday’s sale making reading recommendations, directing people to similar authors, answering questions, and helping visitors find what they’re looking for.
At the conclusion of the public event, there will be a one-hour window from 1 to 2 p.m. just for people who wish to use scanners on their phones or other devices to determine the resale value of the books on display. That’s to keep them from disrupting others perusing the aisles during the sale’s normal hours, Flanagan said.
The Fayetteville Free Library previously held a “10 Years of Treasures” vintage sale this past March highlighting books collected over the course of a decade and the first of the two basement sales in May.
