Holiday Book Shopping Builds a Better Library

by Sarah Walsh, Development Director

Browse a local bulletin board or events listings and it’s clear: we’re entering a season of traditions—holiday craft sales, musical concerts, and special gatherings.

Something not to be omitted from a complete holiday calendar: a visit to the annual Holiday Book Sale hosted by the Library Friends & Foundation. Our volunteers are sorting used books, DVDs and music CDs into categories, and selecting the very finest quality items for the sale happening on Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Library.

The Holiday Book Sale offers a shopper’s delight, with items suitable for gift-giving—including gifts to yourself. Holiday categories feature bestsellers, coffee table books, mysteries, children’s books, cookbooks and more—most in nearly-new condition and at bargain prices.

That would be reason enough to attend. But every shopper, and every sale, also contributes to making a better library.

While the Library’s core budget is funded through taxes, those funds go only so far. Building the bridge that transforms our library from good to great is where the Friends & Foundation is essential. Evidence of this supplemental support is around us in many forms:

• The Library Friends & Foundation makes our community stronger through literacy and civic engagement. All three tracks of the popular Summer Reading Program, for children, teens, and adults, plus the all-community One Book One Valley reading celebration, are underwritten by caring donors from the Friends & Foundation.
• Early Literacy is a year-round focus for the Library, with emphasis on programs that help nurture early brain development in young children through stories, music and activities.
• Friends & Foundation donations make possible the Library’s digital collection of eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, music, and movies—over 600,000 items in all—which is more than ten times larger than our print collection, and accessible any hour of the day anywhere with a library card (full details at estesvalleylibrary.org/collections)
• The Friends & Foundation support other key strategic goals that the Library has prioritized through listening to community feedback. The Library enables Lifelong Learning through Makerspace programs and by providing English Language Learning materials.

There are many ways to give. Shopping at the Holiday Book Sale on December 7 and 8 is one of the simplest. You may also donate used books, DVDs and CDs: visit estesvalleylibrary.org/booksale-donations for details.

We hope to see you at the Sale. Happy holidays to you and yours!