CLAYTON -- The fall used book sale is underway, and Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library is hoping to top its fundraising efforts from the spring.
Hosted twice a year by the Friends of the Library, the used book sale provides funds that the library can dip into throughout the year to supplement what they receive from the town.
In the spring, the used book sale raised $4,000, helping the library to buy a movie license so they can show movies as part of their book clubs, and helping to pay for the accessories of the summer reading program.
“It goes back to the library to help support the summer reading program, to buy books; it all goes back to the library,” said Friends of the Library president Pam Baumgartner.
During the used book sale the library will also be hosting a new book sale from Scholastic. Based on how much Scholastic material they sell, the Friends of the Library will receive “Scholastic dollars” which they can use to purchase books for the library’s own collection at a discounted price.
This year, the library is focusing on updating the reference section in the children’s room, said Library Director Christie Starnes. In the spring, the library bought a reference set on elections in America. Starnes said she’s hoping the Scholastic book sale will help them purchase the rest of the election set on states and other countries.
“That’s several thousands of dollars, but if we can get enough scholastic dollars we can get those for much, much cheaper,” Starnes said.
The used book sale only costs $6 to fill one paper grocery bag full of books, and certain organizations get to collect children’s books for free.
“We let the Rotary Club and the Women’s Club come in and get children’s books beforehand to give to families in need and the different groups they support for free,” Starnes said.
Baumgartner said the used book sale began in 1990 as both a fundraiser and a way to make books and reading accessible to people who might not otherwise be able to afford books.
“It’s sort of a tradition in Clayton,” Baumgartner said. “It was a way to make money and a way to help get books in people’s hands that wasn’t very expensive, and that they enjoy reading.”
This year’s sale will mainly be books that have been taken off the shelves at the library. In the spring, Starnes said people tend to donate more of their own books because it’s the time of year folks often clean house.
“We have more books that have been discarded from the library in the fall sale, only because we’re going through and we’re updating our collection, and we had several books that were in storage,” Starnes said.
Books for sale will range from children’s to fiction, nonfiction, religious, cooking and reference books.
