At 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, a crowd of approximately 15 people gathered at the back entrance of the Baldwinsville Public Library. When the doors opened, some headed straight to the computers, but others were enticed by the posting on the door that reads: book sale.
While it may seem ironic that a library is selling books versus lending them, library director Marilyn Laubacher said this is a common fundraiser.
The books are donations from members of the community and books that have been taken out of circulation. The sale sells books for as little as $1.00 and for the last two days, they sell books by the bag.
Deborah Pinker bought books on Tuesday and returned to the sale on Wednesday for a second helping. "Yesterday probably [bought 12 books]. Today, I don't wanna count yet, probably at least 20," she said.
The price is a big attraction, especially in tough economic times.
"Usually, when the economy is bad, library use goes up because people don't go to buy books as much as they used to," Laubacher said.
The Baldwinsville Public Library circulation is up by as much as 10 percent from last year, but funding is down.
"The cuts that are being made at the state level will affect us because libraries all belong to library systems in New York state, " Laubacher explained.
Most of the library staff is volunteers and delivery services, as well as cataloging, will suffer. Some residents in Baldwinsville see the book sale as a way to preserve their library.
"This is a good fundraiser, having a sale like this, and as more people begin to learn about this, you can only expand and contribute constantly to the library, which is a good thing. Besides, it makes people more aware of a resource available in their community," John Pelligra, who bought various books on art and travel, said.
The library estimates this book sale will generate about $4,000 in funds that they will distribute among various resources.
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