FAL’s dedicated volunteers are hard at work preparing for the October used book sale at the O’Club. Processing book donations is a large part of our work as they flow from car to sorting room to boxes to the warehouse where there are now more than 1,200 boxes ready for eager buyers. As one who occasionally assists with book sorting, I am impressed with the quality of donations. Philip Barry, the Books for Friends Manager, carefully sorts through all donations selecting those of high quality and of interest to Alameda buyers for Books for Friends, FAL’s bookstore. Some books are sold on Amazon and many are boxed for the October sale. In addition to books, we also accept CDs and DVDs in good condition without scratches. If you haven’t stopped by the BFF bookstore it’s well worth a visit: It is open every Thursday-Saturday, 12-4pm. Most books are priced well below $5.
As volunteers sort through the books they find interesting they are finding items left in books, including money occasionally. An interesting project at the Oakland Public Library is a collection of items forgotten in library books – from love notes to doodles to baby photos. The project now has 370 items. I am sure we could equal that number in the books that come through our doors. We continue to need volunteers for many aspects of the book sale process and jobs are tailored to the available hours of the volunteer. Check out our website to learn about the variety of tasks and to join our team.
There is considerable excitement about the O’Club sale after a two year absence. The FAL Board and volunteers are looking forward to welcoming the community back. We are still working out the operational aspects of the sale and buyers will note changes from past sales. One big change is the acceptance of credit cards which we were not able to do at past sales. But there is no change to tables loaded with books in familiar categories and friendly volunteers ready to assist with your purchases. Mark October 21-23 on your calendar.