Library sale offers bargain books

At 8:45 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, eager Bloomington residents anxiously wait outside the Monroe County Public Library for the doors to open.\nThe Friends of the Library Foundation puts on the year-round book sale. The sale is held every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the atrium of the library, where shelves upon shelves are found stacked with books. \nLibrarian Roberta Mueller organizes and runs the book sale. When Mueller was first employed at the library more than 20 years ago, books were discarded when they became worn.\n"I could hardly stand to see books being thrown away," Mueller said. "I thought to myself, 'Why not start a book sale to give back to the community?'"\nThe book sale began in 1973 and has grown every year. The library receives hundreds of donations each year, which allow the foundation to put on the sale every Tuesday.\nMueller said 95 percent of the books are donated to the library. The books include fiction, health, travel, children's books, magazines and even records. The materials range in price from 10 cents to $1.\n"This is a transient community, and the turnover is quite large," Muller said. "I believe Bloomington residents are extremely generous with donating books to the library because many of them are only here for a short period of time."\nThe Bloomington community supports the book sale and makes it possible for the event to continue every year. In 2003, Mueller said the book sale raised $65,000 for the Friends of the Library Foundation. The profits are distributed to different divisions of the library upon requests.\n"We are very fortunate to be able to aid the library as we do," Mueller said. "It is nice to be able to fund guest speakers or other events and supplies that come up in the middle of the year that may have not been planned for in the budget."\nMembers of the Friends of the Library Foundation help staff the sale.\n"The best part of this job is giving back to the community because it is another way to allow everyone the opportunity to read," said Fran Weisman, a volunteer and cashier for the book sale.\nBloomington residents of all ages attend the book sale every Tuesday. There are others who stop in once every few weeks. IU doctoral candidate Wolodymyr Smishkewych attends the event often and said it is great because there is something different each week.\n"I like to go and see what I can find," Smishkewych said. "It's really a hit or miss, but I usually always find interesting stuff."\nShirley Pace, a cashier for the book sale, said her favorite time of the year is a 'special' the foundation occasionally puts on. This event gives shoppers a sack to shove as many books they can get into the bag for only a dollar. \nMueller said the book sale is successful and unique because they have rare items that other places do not. \n"Book dealers and many others come to our sale because you see things here you don't always find in the bookstores," Mueller said. "And who could resist a book for ten cents?"\n-- Contact staff writer Kristin Huett at khuett@indiana.edu.