Area book lovers have cause to rejoice with the upcoming return of the annual Friends of the Turlock Public Library book sale.
The event, which typically draws in hundreds of people over the three days, was in jeopardy of being canceled because the Friends of the Turlock Public Library had lost their storage space last year and were uncertain if they would have enough books to stock the sale.
“There will be less books available than in past years but there will still be thousands of books to look through and purchase,” said the group’s spokesperson Brooks Judd.
Even though the amount of books may be less than seen in previous years, there will still be plenty of options available as the group will have tables stacked high with books of all varieties for those wanting to add to their bookshelves at home.
The annual book sale is a major fundraiser for the Turlock Library. Past years have brought in thousands of dollars that help the library fund children's programs, purchase new books and other materials, pay for periodical subscriptions, and pay for furniture replacement.
The Friends of the Turlock Public Library is also raising funds to find a new and larger home for Turlock’s library. The group has pledged $25,000 as seed money that would ideally be used for relocating the Turlock branch to a new site, but if not that, then funding an expansion of the current site’s footprint.
“The Turlock library has looked like this since 1968 when it opened,” said Turlock Librarian Diane Bartlett at an open house event held in November. “Maybe there have been some shelves changed around, but it’s pretty much the same. This is small for this town. People expect a bigger library for a community of this size.”
The book sale will start with a members’ only night from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 28. Memberships, which are $10 for individuals and $20 for families, will be sold at the door. The book sale will open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 29 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 30. The book sale will be inside First United Methodist Church at 1660 Arbor Way at the corner of Berkeley Avenue and E. Main Street.
Hardbound books are generally $1 and paperbacks will cost $.50. Children's books are priced at $.50 and $.25. Rare and book sets will vary in price.
