Wellesley Library's Spring Book Sale Off to a Good Start

By 5 p.m. Friday at the Wellesley Public Library, the Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries had already raised $4,000 with two days left to their Spring Book Sale.

Just outside the library's Wakelin Room, FOL volunteers Nancy Saumsiegle and Fran Goodman were greeting a steady stream of library patrons during the last hour of the fifth "segment".  There are about six volunteers working the book sale for each day of the sale, Saumsiegle said, spread out among five shifts, or segments.

Saumsiegle said current tally for the sale was just from the previous evening's Member's Preview from 5-9 p.m. which drew a big crowd, as usual. "It's a zoo. It's unbelievable," she said. A final total won't be available till later in the week, she said, but the sale raised about $8,000 for library programs and collections last year.

Inside the Wakelin Room, a small crowd of patrons browsed books organized neatly by category: Science Fiction, Non Fiction, Self Help, Health, Large Paperback and Psychology, among others.

Saumsiegle proudly showed off the Silent Auction Table, where donated vintage tomes including "Masterpieces of the Heritage" and "Inaugural Address: John F. Kennedy" waited for the interest of generous and discerning bibliophiles.

The Spring Book Sale continues today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at The Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.