Annual Friends of the Library sale begins today
T-R PHOTOS BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Marshalltown Public Library staff and volunteers are hard at work preparing for the annual Friends of the Library book sale, which runs from today through Monday in the meeting rooms.
MPL Director Sarah Rosenblum thumbs through a first edition copy of Peter Benchley’s “Jaws,” which will be one of several collectible books available to buy as part of the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale.
T-R PHOTOS BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Marshalltown Public Library staff and volunteers are hard at work preparing for the annual Friends of the Library book sale, which runs from today through Monday in the meeting rooms.
MPL Director Sarah Rosenblum thumbs through a first edition copy of Peter Benchley’s “Jaws,” which will be one of several collectible books available to buy as part of the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale.
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Local book lovers will have a chance to snatch up their favorite titles or perhaps discover their next great read during the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale, which will be held inside of the Marshalltown Public Library's meeting rooms beginning today and running until Monday.
The hours are as follows: 5 to 7:30 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, which is also "Buck a Bag" day, meaning patrons can fill up an entire bag for a dollar, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday -- when, for a single dollar, they can take as many books as they want from the room. The proceeds will benefit the library and help to fund its initiatives and projects in the future, including the new Bookmobile known as MOBI.
In addition to the potpourri of fiction and nonfiction offerings for all ages, Library Director Sarah Rosenblum is excited about some of the special items up for sale this year, including a first edition copy of Peter Benchley's "Jaws" -- best known for its iconic 1975 film adaptation from a then up and coming director named Steven Spielberg -- along with autographed copies of other books like legendary University of Iowa football coach Hayden Fry's memoir "A High Porch Picnic."
Rosenblum added that along with the big annual event, there are always books, DVDs, CDs and records on sale at the library, and they're always accepting donations -- the only ask is that they come in good, gently used condition.
"I love to see, sometimes I'll see a young person, they'll be walking out with a big stack. Maybe they'll decide they want to read some classics or they're very interested in other things. It's an opportunity to pick up a lot of books for a very reasonable price," she said.
And for anyone who heads to the sale, they won't have to worry about breaking the bank. Every title in the big meeting room goes for a dollar or less, but the collector's items like the autographed and first edition copies do tend to go at a slightly higher rate.
"Everything helps us buy new stuff. We'll take donations all year round," Rosenblum said. "People sometimes call. Sometimes I'll actually go to somebody's house -- just like, you know, 'My mom died and there's a lot of things here, and could you come take a look?' I'm happy to do that... We get books into people's hands, and then also, we find homes for things because books are special to people and they don't want to just recycle them or something."
Both cash and credit/debit cards are accepted. To learn more, call the library at 641-754-5738.
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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or
rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.