By Chase Holmes, News Reporter
TRUSSVILLE — The Friends of the Trussville Library will celebrate the fifth anniversary of their used bookstore on July 23.
The celebration will take place near the auditorium in the Trussville Library from 2- 4 p.m.
“For many, many years, we would collect used books and hold book sales twice a year to raise money for the library,” said Marcia Ward, bookstore committee chair. “The storage was expensive and moving all those heavy books was hard on our volunteers.”
When the library was renovated and enlarged in 2018, space was provided for a used bookstore, and the Friends volunteers say it has been a success. “We are now raising more money in a year than we used to with the labor-intensive book sales,” Ward said.
Even after five years, she said many people are still discovering the bookstore. “We are constantly getting donations and rotating stock. You never know when you may discover a new favorite author or an old treasure.”
Volunteers staff the bookstore from 1- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 2- 4 on Sundays.
“We could raise more money to support the library with more volunteers,” Ward said. “If you become a member of Friends of the Library and can give change, you can work in the bookstore. Some of our workers sort and shelve books, but it isn’t required.”
The bookstore is always looking for more donations to stock the shelves and continue to support their efforts.
“The bigger selection we have, the more money we can donate to the library for their programs,” she said. “We accept gently used paperback and hardback fiction or nonfiction. We prefer books published within the past 10 years, but we always have a supply of the classics as well. We cannot accept textbooks or magazines, however.”
Friends of the Trussville Library supports the library by making financial donations for programming and providing extra hands for special events. All bookstore proceeds are returned for library use, including the summer reading program which the Friends recently donated $5,000 towards.
The Friends also raise money through the annual Bookin’ It 5K. This year’s race will take place on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Registration is $25.
Those looking to join the Friends can do so by speaking with one of their members. The Friends of the Library meet at the library on the first Tuesday of each month at 11 a.m. Membership is $10 per year.