Friends' sale offers bargain books, good company

Glen Ellyn Library's annual sale begins at 5 p.m. today.

Books spark conversation.

Just ask Gina Meyers, the co-chair of the Friends of the Glen Ellyn Public Library's annual Used Book Sale.

"Anybody who works in a book store or library will tell you this," she said. "When people come up to pay for their books, they want to tell you why they're buying them."

"At the cookbook table, they're all talking about cooking," she said. "I enjoy walking over to the table of the best-sellers, and hearing what people have to say. For some reason, because it's a community event, and it's in a big gymnasium, there is a lot of camaraderie and conversation going on. For me, personally, I love that aspect of the sale"

The used book sale has grown in popularity and scope since it began in the smaller venue at the Glen Ellyn Public Library.

"We had gotten many valid complaints that the room was too small," she said. "We decided we would go off-site."

The sale grew from earning about $1,500 to about 10 times that amount in its new location. Meyers said the dollars earned from the sale will go right back into the community in programming and new books. It gives the library some discretionary funding to use for things such as library card scholarships for the needy. Some of the funds will go toward a new teen center for young people to read and study in a teen-friendly atmosphere.

Many of the customers are simply book lovers, like Meyers. But she also sees a lot of books going out the door to parents who home-school, people in book clubs, and book dealers who shop for bargains they can resell.

Meyers remembers one lady in particular who bought a box of paperbacks that she said would be summer beach reading for her second home in Michigan.

"She got a lot of paperbacks for $20 a box," Meyers said.

Another couple bought about 20 boxes of books, and in broken sentences explained to Meyers that the books would be shipped to China to be used to teach English.

Meyers and other volunteers have collected and sorted donations for more than a month prior to the sale. They sort and table the books by category of best sellers, adult fiction, children and youth, media such as DVDs, books on tape, cassettes and CDs, home-life, health, mind and body, reference, vacation, business, religion, politics and social commentary and collectibles.

Prices range from 25 cents for a children's paperback to about $3 for a best-seller or DVD. Collectibles include coffee-table books, signed author books and older books of value.

There is a $5 entry fee Friday, typically attended by many book dealers. On Saturday, from 3 to 4 p.m., is a "buy one, get one free" promotion.

For book lovers, there is a word of caution from Gina Meyers -- "Almost every person who comes to the sale leaves with many more books than they intended to buy."

For details, visit the Web site at www.gepl.org.