One of my favorite bookseller discoveries has been library book sales. They are no mystery – I just wasn’t aware of them before doing more serious book hunting. Library book sales are held annually (sometimes biannually) to raise money for a library from donated books and library discards. If you love to read (or collect), and haven’t ever been to one of these I highly recommend giving them a try. There’s a great resource for finding library sales (I’m sure there’s more than one, but this is one I use regularly) called Book Sale Finder. You can search by date or general location, click on the link and find out where the library is and a bit about what to expect from their sale. Another option if you don’t want to travel more than a town or two away, is to contact local libraries and inquire about when they hold their sales.
Once you’ve decided on where (and when) your going, here’s a few things to know about these sales…
Both booksellers and the general public attend library sales. Booksellers tend to arrive early (very early – well before the doors even open) and can mob a sale for the first hour or two. If you’d rather avoid the craziness (they’re not all crazy but be prepared if going early), wait until the sale has been going on for an hour or two before arriving. If you’re looking for something special however, it’s worth the crush of people to arrive when the sale first gets going and have first crack at the books.
The books at library book sales are a combination of donated volumes, and library discards. The amount of one versus the other depends on the sale, but through Book Sale Finder (or contacting the library), you can find out in advance.
Prices for books range (on average) from $.25 – $2.00. Like the donation percentage, you can usually find out price ranges in advance. Most of these books are in amazing condition for their price, but you will find remainders, damaged books and library discards (that don’t appear to be discards at first glance). If you’re looking for more than just a reading copy, look through the books you choose carefully.
Many folks (particularly booksellers) bring some kind of canvas or reusable bag with them, and walk along the isles, putting books into their bag(s) – almost what appears to be at random, though it is not – and then when bags are full will plop themselves in a corner to peruse their finds. Most (but sadly not all) folks are respectful enough to put back the books they don’t want for someone else to find (or else the volunteers at the sale will do so). I recommend bringing a bag or two with you (something that can hold the weight of many books) and even a box. If you happen to forget, the library usually supplies both bags and boxes.
One more tidbit to keep in mind: Some libraries offer preview sales to ‘friends’ of that particular library. ‘Friends’ are folks who donate (usually a specified amount) annually to a library, and receive advanced mailings about sales and other local happenings. The same recommendation applies to preview sales (and thus becoming a friend) as to going to the opening of a sale: if you’re concerned about obtaining better (or particular) books, it is usually worthwhile. Just be prepared for a lot of people, some more polite than others. Of course, I completely advocate becoming a friend of your local library regardless, but that’s me.
The best thing about library book sales? As fun and thrilling as it can be to find a treasure (or two or three…) for an incredible deal, it’s even better to know that the money you spend goes right back into your community via a very important institution.
Happy book hunting!!
