It's opening day of the Friends of the Greenville County Library System's Spring Used Book Sale, and hopeful book-lovers line up outside Suite E2 of the Merovan Center on Woodruff Road. Over a dozen volunteers flutter about waiting to open the door to a world of books.
Her daughter, Cindy, adds, “It’s a lot to take in when you first walk in.” “We give them a box. ‘Oh, we don’t need one.’ Yes, you do, you need a box.” Sharing the excitement with book lovers is the highlight of the sale for Sandy. With over 70,000 books filling the space, the book sale features all those items people might be looking for and more to discover. An entire wall of mystery novels, New York Times
Bestsellers, local and Upstate history, popular fiction, cookbooks, and a giant children’s section satisfy the "to-read" lists often carried by attendees. But the real treats are the unexpected treasures found sitting on specialty item tables—rare, collectible, signed, and antique editions of books; dozens of books grouped by color palette for use in interior design; and “the Book was Better,” a bundled deal of a book and its corresponding movie. Donated items flow in from all over Greenville County through the Library System’s 12 locations. Each book has lived a life already when it arrives on the doorstep of a library. A team of volunteers fans out to collect these donations each week, and take them to the Friends’ book sale center on Woodruff Road to be sorted, priced, and sold.
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By the end of the sale, mother and daughter volunteers, Sandy Cogen and Cindy Goldberg, will have been part of a huge volunteer effort which will sell over 15,000 items to more than 1,500 guests. Raising over $21,500, this bookbuying extravaganza is one of two large fundraising events hosted by the Friends of the Library every year.
“I just need to be at that door. I welcome them. Here’s a map. What are you looking for?” Sandy says.
LIBRARY NOW // Summer 2019
