Sherwood Library: Upstairs, Downstairs

Getting your house cleaned out for holiday parties and visitors? What will you do with those books you no longer need? Here’s one idea: you could donate them to the . The Friends of the Sherwood Library donate the proceeds of their book sales to benefit the library and the community. 

How does that work? Books donated by the public to the Sherwood Library are processed by volunteers, all members of the Friends of Sherwood Library. The books that are in good condition (for instance, not water-stained or marked up) are sorted into categories (e.g. history, biography, children, travel, etc.). Some of these books are added to the library’s collection or replace current books that are worn out. The Friends work hard to ensure that all the books sold are of good quality and offered at very reasonable prices. Please note that VHS tapes, CDs and DVDs may also be donated, but no magazines or encyclopedias, please.

Materials that are available for sale can be found in the back hallway of the first floor, leading to the elevator. This area is open 7 days a week. You simply pay at the front desk on your way out of the library. Those with more time will want to visit areas on the second floor, too. The lobby of the second floor has many more books and is open, like the Tech Lab, every day but Sunday. The sorting area opens for sales every Thursday and the first Saturday of each month. Here, a volunteer is available to take payment and help you with bags or boxes, if needed. The Friends in attendance can also tell you about the books offered through their website. Online you can find titles that may appeal to a more specialized audience. For instance, recently the group auctioned online a richly illustrated book dealing with Japan in the 1800s. Those who come to the second floor Monday through Saturday will also find a large selection of materials outside the sorting area.  Again, you can pay for those items at the checkout desk on the first floor if the Friends are not onsite.

Donations are accepted any time the library is open, except Sunday, and tax deduction forms are available for anyone who would like them. Wondering what happens to the money? Proceeds from the sale go to support new and ongoing library programs and services. Typically, the Friends provide funds for programs for all ages, magazine subscriptions, furniture and equipment, like the digital display bulletin boards by the checkout desk and the new tables and chairs in the reading areas. Given the cutbacks in County budgets these funds make an important contribution to the library’s functions and facility. Besides the financial benefit for Sherwood Regional, the Friends’ hard work is a service for the community. Children shopping the second floor with their parents when the Friends are there can get a free book. Readers and collectors find great titles at discounted prices among books that might have otherwise gone to the landfill. It’s a win/win/win!

The Sherwood Friends group’s motto is: "A great library needs more than books and computers—it needs friends!" Please visit the webpage. See you soon at the book sale!