BROOKINGS This week is National Library Week, and the local Friends of the Library are celebrating by holding the Spring Book Sale fundraiser on April 9-13 at Brookings Public Library, 515 Third St.
One of the best things about the book sale is that you dont know what kind of treasures youre going to stumble upon until youre there, Sara Bakken, president of the Friends of the Library, said. Theres a range of local things from South Dakota, to historical things, to literature. We tend to have a growing selection of young adult fiction at the sale each year, and thats kind of fun. Theres even some media like audiobooks, DVDs, CDs and that kind of thing, too. Board games and puzzles also have been very popular.
She said the fundraisers are held in the fall and spring, bringing in between $7,000 and $8,000 each time.
I believe in 2024 between both of our book sales we raised about $15,000, Bakken said. The City of Brookings really does provide great support to our local library thats where the primary budget comes from. But when youre going above and beyond with special and unique programming and materials, it can be helpful to have a little extra cash flow to support those things. Thats really where the Friends of the Library comes in.
She said last years sales funded an additional tween book club, new seating in the young adult area, updated signage in the childrens area and new supplies for the librarys maker lab. The library also used book sale proceeds to purchase new board games, audiobooks and video games to add to circulation.
This is probably my favorite library of all the various communities Ive lived in, Bakken said. Our librarians are really special people who make an effort to not only provide materials for checkout but also interactive materials like board games, audio books and things that are really accessible to our community. Then also the programming that they put on really creates a deeper sense of connection within our community.
The fundraiser begins Wednesday evening with a presale event, then continues regular library hours Thursday through Saturday. Sunday is discount day and runs from 1 to 3 p.m.
That first night is always a members only night, so we encourage folks who want to get the first pick from the sale to become a member of the Friends of the Library, Bakken said. Its just $10 for an annual membership. They can do that through our website which can be accessed through the librarys website. We also always offer those memberships at the door. A lot of times people are renewing their memberships at the door, and well open that Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. so we can get people set up and heading right into the sale that night.
She said they try to keep memberships affordable.
We do sell family memberships for $25, Bakken said. Some folks also opt for a lifetime membership. Thats $100, and then you dont have to ever worry about renewing.
She said they welcome visitors at their monthly meetings.
We usually have a couple guests attend the meetings each time, Bakken said. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 22 thats the Tuesday after Easter and its a week and a half after the sale wraps up. We meet at 5:30 p.m. in the Cooper Room of the library, upstairs there. Itll be a really fun meeting to attend because we will be deciding how to spend the money that we make at this particular book sale. We always invite people to come out for that.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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