Area residents will be able to buy books at incredible bargain prices while helping to support a beloved local institution. From October 17 to 19, the Western Springs Library Friends will host their semi-annual book sale. Used books, which have been donated over the course of the year, will be sold for 50 cents to $1, with proceeds benefiting special programming at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library.

Western Springs Library Friends is a volunteer organization that provides funding for programming that the Thomas Ford Memorial Library would probably not otherwise be able to afford.

Western Springs resident Donna Perkowski is the treasurer for the Library Friends, as well as the chairperson for the book sale. Initiatives supported by the Library Friends, she said, include summer reading programs for all age groups, authors’ appearances, Friday at the Ford music program, and special theatrical performances.

Perkowski said that the Library Friends have been in existence for about 45 years.

The used book sales, which are held each October and April, are the Western Springs Library Friends’ largest fundraisers. Each sale, Perkowski said, brings in approximately $4,000.

Roughly 90 percent of the books sold are donated from people in the area. The balance is books that are withdrawn from the library’s collection.

“It’s amazing what people will donate. It’s surprising. A lot of people will go out and buy a current bestseller, read it, and then donate it to us,” she said. “We tend to get a lot of newer releases.”

The Friends also receive large donations of book collections from people trying to downsize.

“We do try to see if there’s a way to identify those with a special value. Those we sell on eBay because we can get more money,” Perkowski said.

Perkowski said that, unlike other used book sales in the area, the Friends take the many weeks preceding the sales to sort the books into appropriate categories.

“It’s easier for people coming in to look for what they’re interested in,” she said. “We can point them to the specific categories. And we also separate hard covers and paperbacks. We also sell some audio books, music and videos.”

The book sales also include an enormous selection of kids’ books.

Books remaining at the end of the sale are either packed away for the next sale or donated to nursing homes, city schools, or VFW’s, which in turn send them to Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We do everything that we can to keep them recirculating,” Perkowski said.
The book sales, Perkowski said, are fun events that are eagerly anticipated by many area residents.

“We have wonderful volunteers who enjoy talking to the shoppers and making recommendations. We also have occasions where people will tell us if they’ve been looking for a specific book and we’ll take their name and phone number and then watch for the book.”

The used book sale will be at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library, 800 Chestnut St., Western Springs. A presale will be held for members of Western Springs Library Friends only on Friday, October 17. The book sale opens to the public from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, and concludes on Sunday, Oct. 19, with bag sale from noon to 2:30 p.m. At that time, shoppers can fill a shopping bag with books for a total of $4. For information, contact the Thomas Ford Memorial Library at (708) 246-0520.

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