Courtesy of Friends of the Bryan College Station Library System
From mystery to history, thousands of used books will go on sale at bargain prices April 27-28 at the Clara B. Mounce Public Library in Downtown Bryan.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, proceeds of the biannual sale benefit the Bryan College Station Public Library System. The sale hours are 10am to 2pm on April 27 and 1:30 to 3:30pm on April 28. On Saturday, a bag of books costs $20 and on Sunday it is $10 for the first bag and $5 for each additional bag.
Donated by the book lovers in the community, choices include a wide range of fiction, including many popular authors; a wide variety of non-fiction, including biographies; young adult; an extensive selection of children’s books; cookbooks; reference books; and collectibles. Buyers can browse through both hardback and paperback books.
Proceeds of the sale have benefitted a number of library programs, but reading is a major, ongoing priority. In past years, the Friends have also contributed substantial amounts to projects for the Mounce, Larry J. Ringer, and Carnegie libraries, including web resources such as One Click, TexShare, Ancestry, Overdrive, and NewsBank (the Eagle). Additionally, these funds have been used for grant-writing, social media, computer classes, capital improvements, staff appreciation, and many other library activities.
The Friends are also providing more than $18,000 towards the renovation and expansion of the Ringer Library in College Station. Ringer is presently closed and is expected to reopen in mid-July. Meanwhile, most services are available through the Mounce library, which has expanded hours until Ringer is completed.
Larry Koeninger, director of the Library System, says the Ringer expansion will almost double the size of the library. “We will have a much larger meeting room that will seat 200 people,” he explains. “We are also expanding the children’s department with places for parents and children to interact with each other and explore the world of books together.”
Founded in 1955, the Friends of the Bryan + College Station Library System was organized to promote the public library, provide support, and encourage everyone to become library patrons. Some half a million people visited the libraries in the past year and checked out nearly 1 million items. Yearly Friend memberships range from $10 for students to $60 for a family.
Book sale preparations take place year round, according to co-chairman Jeanne Mitchell. “I have been working with the book sale since the early 1990’s,” she says. She credits co-chair Carol Maxson and a hardworking group within the board who organize the actual sales, one in the spring and another in the fall. Book donations are accepted at Mounce and normally Ringer libraries. Books must be in good condition. Members sort them and ultimately box them up. The day before the sale they are unboxed and placed on tables. Then it’s a mad rush when the doors are opened to the public.
For more information, visit www.friendsbcs.org/book-sales.
