Friends Indeed

LIBRARY FRIENDS GROUPS CHANNEL CREATIVITY TO RAISE MONEY

IN 2012, HESTA ANDERSON, a volunteer with the Reynolda Manor Friends of the Library group, noticed that increasingly expensive books were being donated to her group for resale to benefit the Reynolda Manor branch. She also noticed that prices for used books were rising on the Amazon website.

The Reynolda Manor Friends group had run ongoing sales of donated books out of that branch for many years, but Anderson decided to aim higher than what the group could bring in from local sales, where books were usually priced from 50 cents to $2.

Anderson began offering some of the donated books on Amazon’s website. When she sold a textbook for lawyers about how to select a jury for $649, she knew she had hit on a winning formula. Not only are law books hot sellers, but Anderson said that she’s found books on such subjects as wars, the military, classic fiction and textbooks on psychology sell well on Amazon too.

Hesta Anderson, Friends of Reynolda Manor Library

She estimates that her Friends group has raised about $14,000 to benefit the Reynolda Manor branch, between its ongoing book sales at the branch, and its Amazon sales, since 2012.

Anderson handles the research on a book’s value and another member of the group oversees the details of packing and mailing the books.

“It takes a lot of people,” she said. “If you sell the book, you’ve got to get it out the next day.”

Each of the 10 branches in the Forsyth County Public Library system has a Friends of the Library group to provide support. Traditionally, Friends groups raised money through book sales to pay for special library programs. Friends groups can also contribute money toward technological equipment offered at libraries, special performers fees and supplies for programs.

Increasingly, Friends groups are becoming more sophisticated in the activities that they pursue in order to support libraries. They’re drawing on talents within the group or looking at needs in their communities.

The Lewisville Friends of the Library group has been selling themed gift baskets based on particular books for over 10 years. Marie Sessoms, president of the group, said that the baskets are fun for the group to put together.

For example, a recent Regency-themed basket contained Regency romances, a teacup and teabags and some crotcheted doilies. For a basket with a seafood cookbook, the group added a scarf with a lobster design. “It’s hard work, but it’s fun,” Sessoms said. “The baskets are an accumulation of all of us who make them.”

The group often solicits household knickknacks that people might want to donate. Sometimes they buy inexpensive items from discount stores or they contribute something of their own to round out a particular basket’s theme.

During the holiday season, the group put together 59 different baskets. Two weeks after they offered the baskets for sale, they had only a dozen baskets left, Sessoms said. The baskets are priced at $20 and less. “They’re great Christmas presents,” Sessoms said. “We have people who come in and buy five or six for everyone in their family.” I| S

— MARY GIUNCA, public information officer