Annual book sale begins Thursday

Ron Eifert, assistant director of the Sikeston Public Library, looks for books to be sold during the annual sale.

Leonna Heuring

Standard Democrat

SIKESTON -- Mary Higgins Clark and John Grisham are just a few of the best-

selling authors whose books will be available at the Sikeston Public Library's annual book sale, which starts Thursday.

"Some of these hardbacks that have come in here look like brand new and many of the spines have barely been broken because someone's just read them once," said library assistant director Ron Eifert. "And then there are some that look like they've been loved, but are still in good shape."

Other hardcovers in the sale include a couple of copies of the best seller, "The DaVinci Code," and some books by Tom Clancy and other favorite authors. There are some children's books available although not as many as the adult books, Eifert said.

Eifert said he's only seen a fraction of what's for sale so there could be more popular books available, too.

"We have hardback, paperback, fiction, nonfiction, an encyclopedia set, National Geographic magazines and audio books," Eifert said.

The highest price on any of hardbacks is $4, and most books cost less, Eifert noted.

"We have a lot of paperback fiction and mysteries," Eifert said. "A lot of those aren't really by well-known authors."

This year's sale is from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 1-3 p.m. Sunday.

Of course the earlier you arrive, the better selection you will have, library director Sue Tangeman said, but many people wait until the last day of the sale before doing any shopping. On Sunday they can bring a brown grocery bag and fill it up with as many books as they can for $1.

"You'd be surprised how much they can fit into a bag," Tangeman laughed. "Even if they don't fill the bag up, it's $1 -- and they're still getting a good deal. It's a win-win situation."

Starting in October on a weekly basis, library volunteers go through boxes and boxes of thousands of books to be used for the annual sale, Tangeman said.

"All of the hard work and getting the books set out for sale is done by volunteers," said Tangeman.

Some of the books put in the sale are duplicates of what the library has, while others are simply outdated. There are also materials donated throughout the year to the facility specifically for the sale.

Eifert pointed out all of the proceeds from the sale turn around and are put back into the purchase of books for the library.

"It's trading books for books," Eifert said. "We take that money and update our collection to provide the best selection to the patrons."