Visitors looking for that next good read at The Public Library at Tellico Village on Saturday also helped a good cause.
Friends of the Tellico Village Library hosted 9 a.m.-noon the first mini book sale with a mystery theme. Saturday was a “last-minute” decision, Judy Gibbons, book sale co-coordinator, said.
“We do have our big book sale scheduled for April, but considering the way the coronavirus is going, we just don’t know,” Lori Hall, annual book sale co-coordinator, said. “People keep generously making donations and we are just filling up with books over at the annex and we thought, ‘Why don’t we just give this a try and see?’”
“So the last-minute part we came up with the idea and then said, ‘Why delay? Let’s just do it next weekend’,” Gibbons added.
The move proved successful. Liz Hall, Friends president, said initially in the morning “you could not get in the parking lot.”
Hopes are the mini book sale could be held more often. Lori believes mini sales could occur at least through October, with the next installment set for 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 12. A focus will be on fiction, biographies and memoirs. DVDs and CDs will also be available.
“We’re actually taking suggestions for other subjects, other genres that people might be interested in,” Liz said. “If we can diminish our stock and make some money for the library and let people come out and meet one another safely, it’s a win for everybody.”
Many visitors were happy the sale was held, Lori said.
“People keep saying, ‘Oh, we’re so glad you’re doing this. Are you going to do it again?’” she said.
Friends representatives Saturday agreed the sale was a “win” for all involved.
“If we didn’t have a book sale and we’d keep getting all these books, we would run out of room in the annex,” Liz said. “So this is a win for everybody. We can keep supplies at a minimum in the annex and yet help the community. They loved it.”
Saturday’s fundraiser was the first of the year for the library.
“Every little bit helps us,” Liz said. “We feel that the library is a public service and by being able to offer a venue for people to come and meet safely and socialize a bit safely, as well as helping us, we have nothing to lose. We’ve got books aplenty. It’s amazing — nobody’s slowed down moving here, they moved here with books and then go, ‘What do I do with all these books?’
“So we get them and you know that we’re strapped for room sometimes, so this really is wonderful,” she added. “We get rid of some books, we make a little money, we’re able to fulfill that role that we have as a public library. We’re liking it a lot.”
There was no goal. Liz said Saturday the group would be “tickled pink with anything.” The sale collected $1,800, she reported Monday.
“We’ve also on the side gotten some Friends memberships,” Liz said. “That’s an annual endeavor and we’re going to be having our major newsletter that is outreached to the entire community. A few people said, ‘We’ll do that now.’ Everybody has been socializing, chatting with their neighbors. We are reminding them 6 feet apart, we’ve got the hand sanitizer. It’s working.”
