Library’s Annual Book Sale Welcomes Alumni Donors, Shoppers
The sale, which has been going on since at least 1996, gives unwanted books new life and provides a valuable service to the campus and local communities. This year’s sale takes place May 1.
At the end of each spring semester, Trexler Library opens its doors to shoppers from campus and beyond for its annual book sale. All year, librarian Kelly Cannon accepts donations (from alumni, faculty, staff, and community members) to prepare for the sale, which helps books find a new home at basically free prices ($1 for hardcovers and 50 cents for paperbacks).
“Books are treasured by their owners. Our book sale provides a way for people to donate their books knowing that their materials will find a home and not just be thrown away or recycled,” says Cannon, who notes that a significant number of alumni donate to the sale. “It is a service that benefits our entire community: students, retiring faculty, alumni, and neighbors.”
Cannon oversees the donations. First, he reviews the books to see if they have academic value and should be added to the library’s collection. Books that are in good shape are sometimes used to replace books that are already held by the library but are in need of repair, which stretches the library’s acquisitions and repair budgets. However, the emphasis of the sale is on recycling rather than profit.
“Our book sale provides a way for people to donate their books knowing that their materials will find a home and not just be thrown away or recycled. It is a service that benefits our entire community: students, retiring faculty, alumni, and neighbors.”
—Librarian Kelly Cannon
Any books not added to the collection are stored for the sale, where prices start low and get lower: Toward the end of the day, once the books have been picked over, shoppers can pay $3 for all the books they can fit in a bag and $5 for all they can fit in a box.
Leftover books are packed up and stored, and once the library has 40 boxes, the books can be sent to Better World Books, a global book recycling vendor that attempts to re-sell the books or donate them to needy libraries around the world. Anything left is sustainably recycled.
The next book sale will take place Friday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All are welcome to shop.
A pair of Muhlenberg coaches introduced Raymond “Randy” Salani III ’07 to the Appalachian Trail. Now, he’s published two photography books about the iconic route, with two more in the pipeline about Wyoming’s Teton Range.
