For the love of libraries
Friends of the Library book sale brings out readers
The annual Friends of the New Ulm Public Library book sale started Friday in the library basement. The sale will continue Saturday morning with a $2 bag sale. Photo by Clay Schuldt
Around 3,500 books were donated to the Friends of the New Ulm Public Library book sale. Photo by Clay Schuldt
The annual Friends of the New Ulm Public Library book sale started Friday in the library basement. The sale will continue Saturday morning with a $2 bag sale. Photo by Clay Schuldt
Around 3,500 books were donated to the Friends of the New Ulm Public Library book sale. Photo by Clay Schuldt
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NEW ULM - Friday, the basement of the New Ulm Public Library was packed with book lovers hunting for the next great read.
It was the annual Friends of the New Ulm Public Library used book sale, which has been held the first full weekend in November for over a decade. The sale is the largest source of funding for the Friends of the Library nonprofit.
Friends of the New Ulm Public Library president Andreanne Tauer said the setup for the book sale takes countless hours. One of the most time consuming tasks is sorting through the thousands of donated books and categorizing them by genre.
Tauer said the sorting process for the November sales actually starts in January. She tries to sort a few hours at a time throughout the year rather than all at once. Some of the other Friends of the Library volunteers will help sort books as they donate.
"I shudder to think how many hours go into this each year," Tauer said. "But I am retired and I love books."
Tauer estimated this year 3,500 books were donated to the sale. The mystery genre were the most represented. Two full tables were dedicated to mystery books. Cookbooks were the second most common, followed by science-fiction novels.
Tauer said she recognized some of the donated books from previous sales. Many of the people who purchase books from the sale, donate the books back to the Friends of the Library after reading them. It makes the entire event something of a large book exchange program, but it helps the nonprofit in assisting the library.
Tauer said the funds raised by the book sale go back to helping the New Ulm Public Library pay for furniture or other needed library items. The funds are also used to cover librarian expenses when they travel out of town for additional training.
Tauer said Friends of the New Ulm Public Library will assist the library in covering any expense not covered by traditional library funding.
The book sale continues Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. with a $2 bag sale. Shoppers may pay $2 for a bag and fill it with as many books as they can. After 12:30 p.m. Saturday, all remaining books will be free to take.