Springtime for book lovers
Residents have the opportunity to add to their personal library this weekend by shopping for bargains at the Spring Book Sale.
The Spring Book Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., today, April 26, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Saturday, April 27, at the Cape Coral – Lee County Public Library, 921 S.W. 39th Terrace, off Mohawk Parkway.
Book Sale Chairman Bonita Olesen took over the reins for the spring book sale and said it’s been great fun.
“I have wonderful volunteers eager to help me make it a success,” she said.
Since Dec. 1, the Friends of the Cape Coral Library have been preparing for the semi-annual sale. The public either drops off donations at the library, or contacts the Friend’s hotline to have the items picked up at their home.
“I have people who for four days a week are doing the sorting and packaging, and the fifth person getting it over to the storage lockers. They will be brought over to the library Wednesday morning,” Olesen said, to set up for the Book Sale. “Some days they go in there and there are boxes to sort. Other days it is ‘Wow.'”
The volunteers set aside books that might be appealing to collectors and special needs groups through their sorting.
Immediate Past President and Publicity Chair Monica Rahman said the special table featuring items of interest to collectors will be priced a little more.
“We happen to know they are valuable books. Some of historic interest, some signed by the authors,” she said.
Olesen said she and her husband, who love books, are in charge of the hotline.
“We drive all over Cape Coral and meet a new friend and take their precious books back. I still get excited every time I get a new box,” she said.
Cape Coral Friends of the Library President Paula Novander said although they receive some donations from the library for the book sale, the majority of the items comes from the public.
“Someone buys it, reads it and gives it to us. It’s more fun than you can imagine,” Novander said of the Book Sale. “We have a great time setting up and putting out all these books and helping people find something in particular. A lot of teachers come in, fill a bag for a couple of dollars and bring it back for their students.”
Some of the books are also donated because someone has had them for a long time and was looking for the right place to send them.
“I want everyone to come out and introduce themselves to me and tell me what their favorite book is,” Olesen said. “If you love books, you will find something you must have. It is easy to have fun shopping.”
The sale will feature fiction and non-fiction books, as well as DVDs, music CDs and audio books on CD. The non-fiction items are organized by categories to include arts, crafts, sports, hobbies, travel, military, history, biography, nature, gardening, philosophy, religion, self-help, cookbooks and children’s books.
The Spring Book Sale will feature about 10,000 items that are all new to this sale.
Most of the items range from $1 to $2. Cash and checks are accepted.
Novander said the money raised from the Book Sale goes towards a great deal of programs and items the library may need.
Some of the programs the Friends of the Cape Coral Library sponsors is the Summer Reading Program, Coloring the Earth Contest, the Southwest Florida Reading Festival.
“I love doing anything for the kids. That is a great thing, anytime you can get a kid to read,” Novander said.
A recent visitor at the library showcased why the Friend’s group does what it does.
“This little girl was hopping because she was so excited to be coming in for a program at the library,” Novander said. “That is why we are doing this.”
The Friends also sponsor the English Caf program for the adults by providing coffee and something to eat.
She said they also provide funds for furniture, such as the new blocks located in the children’s area, as well as a audio visual system for the large meeting room.
“That was about $23,000. That was a big donation for us,” she said of the system.
The Friends group is also sponsoring a librarian to attend the Florida Librarian Conference in July.
“We don’t do salaries and we don’t buy books. We pick up a lot of other things,” Novander said.
The Friends group works with the Garden Club of Cape Coral to provide a butterfly garden at the library. She said they pay for the plants, and the Garden Club takes care of the butterfly garden.
“It enhances the experience of the library,” Novander said.