Fall Book Sale 2017 - Friends of the Kensington Library

The annual Fall Book Sale of the Friends of the Kensington Library will be held on Sunday, October 29 from 10am – 4pm in the parking lot behind the library at 61 Arlington Avenue. The sale coincides with the KCC’s annual Fall Parade and Picnic.

In keeping with its reputation among book hunters as one of the best book sales in the Bay Area, the sale will feature hundreds of quality titles in music and opera from the donated collection of Henry L. Snyder (1929-2016), professor emeritus of history at the University of California, Riverside, and the former director of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research.

Awarded a National Humanities Medal in 2007 for his work as a scholar and innovator, Dr. Snyder "was a pioneer in the library community, developing technologies and databases that are being used around the world," said his son David Snyder, a Kensington resident. "I know he would be pleased that the books are being sold to support the local library. Our family has been in Kensington for over three generations, and to be able to give back to the community is a great feeling."

Noted for directing the English Short-Title Catalogue, (ESTC), a bibliographic database of books published in the British Isles or its territories from the early 1470s to 1800, the elder Snyder was also a lifelong patron and producer of opera. In the early 1980s, while a Dean at Louisiana State University, Snyder was the founding president of the Baton Rouge Opera; later, as Dean of Arts and Humanities at the University of California, Riverside, he served as the President of the Riverside Opera.

His book collection includes composer monographs, criticism, opera history, performer biographies, as well as bibliographies and discographies covering the Golden Age of Opera up to the present day.

The Friends of the Kensington Library, a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, has worked to improve library services in Kensington since 1959, when it was incorporated with the purpose of providing a suitable home for an expanding library. The Kensington Library building, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in the fall of 2015, is the lasting and visible result of those early efforts.

Through membership donations and book sale earnings, the Friends provide the Library with funds to purchase roughly a quarter of its books. It also provides children's and cultural programs for the community. Contributions to the FKL are tax deductible and eligible for corporate matching gifts.

Volunteers are always needed and made welcome at the twice-yearly book sales. Over the long term, the FKL is also seeking volunteers to help with pricing and sorting books (Tuesday and Friday afternoons, in the shed behind Library), producing and distributing the NOTES newsletter, bookkeeping, and fundraising. Those interested should contact Jim Fisher at fishjim.FKL@gmail.com, or join us at our regular board meeting on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Library.