Book sale
What: Friends of the Hall County Library System used book sale
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today, 1-5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Gainesville Library, 127 Main St.
Prices: Regular adult and children’s paperbacks, 10 cents; trade adult paperbacks (larger size), 50 cents; hardbacks, adult and children, $1; videos, DVDs, music and audiobooks, $1
The Friends of the Hall County Library System is taking over the first floor of the Gainesville Library this weekend to sell hundreds of used books for as little as a dime apiece.
Lisa MacKinney, assistant director of Hall County Libraries, said the group received an especially large number of donations this year for the annual used books sale.
"We started putting out fliers saying we need donations and volunteers," MacKinney said. "I think it worked."
The books will be separated by fiction, nonfiction and children’s literature. Hardbacks will sell for $1, trade paperbacks for 50 cents and mass market and children’s paperbacks for 10 cents.
"We’ve got lots and lots of great stuff for sale," MacKinney said. "We’ve got so much material, we really need to move it."
The Friends of the Library is a volunteer organization that serves as the fundraising and advocacy arm of the Hall County Library System.
MacKinney said the Friends of the Library raise money to help the libraries with needs that aren’t covered by county and state funding.
"It’s very, very important this year," MacKinney said. "If you saw our poor new book shelves, they’re pitiful. Here in Gainesville, they’ve had about five books, 10 books on the new book fiction shelves sometimes because our new materials budget got hit really hard this year."
MacKinney said she hopes the sale will raise enough money to buy new releases for the libraries and provide continuing education for the librarians.
"They’ll be sending some staff to the Georgia Library Conference next week because we have no money for travel or training this year, so they’re going to sponsor that," MacKinney said.
MacKinney said in the past the Friends of the Library have used money from the book sale to buy computers, books and equipment.
"It’s just really whatever we need that comes up that isn’t part of our normal budget that we don’t have the money for," she said.
Aside from books, there will also be movies, audio books, calendars and other items at the sale, set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
"We’re going to have the brown paper grocery bags that we will provide and people can come in on Sunday and fill up a bag for $5," MacKinney said.
The group also will have a tent at the Art in the Square event this weekend to sell art-related books.