Book Sale Photos - Take Down

Photos by Darlene

Revisiting an Earlier Comment

Right before the book sale started, we received a comment that we wanted to address, but that we just didn't have time to address adequately. We want to revisit it though, so here's the comment, and our response.

Anonymous wrote:

My sister, husband, and I have been patrons and Friends for many years. We're not renewing this year. In fact, we're not going to attend this sale. We normally spend in excess of $150 per day, and usuqally come twice during the sale.

Why won't we be there? Because the ban on backpacks isn't enough. Until you ban dealers from bringing in those huge plastic bins that block the walkways and until you ban them from snatching everything then carelessly throwing books in piles all over the place, then this sale really isn't reader friendly.

And the most ironic part of all of this - we're retired booksellers ourselves.

Our response:

We are sorry you missed out. If you had come, you would have found that our booksale was amazingly orderly. Our volunteers worked very hard to provide a shopping experience that filled all needs. We did not allow any big buckets -- the largest size allowed in was ONE basket the size of a USPS mail bucket. Every dealer who attended complied with that. Most dealers who attended, especially on Friends Night on Wednesday, commented that this was one of the most orderly sales they attend -- and that they appreciated it. We saw several of our dealer patrons over several days of the sale, so they must have a) been finding what they wanted and b) been willing to behave in a manner that allowed them to stay. Our non-dealer patrons must have been happy as well. Incidentally, our history is that it has not been dealers alone who have been rude and pushy. Everyone wants to point to the dealers because they tend to be identifiable, but we have non-dealer patrons who, on occasion, show a lack of judgment in their behavior standards. We intervene as soon as we notice it, and the result is as stated above -- EVERYONE is enjoying the sale more.

As we're currently toting up our sales figures, we're discovering that we have set a new record for a semi-annual sale -- and that's WITHOUT the children's and young adult books.

It might be that you've thrown the baby out with the bathwater by deciding not to attend or renew your membership. We invite you to return.

/kw

Wordzzle

It's time again for Wordzzle! You can tell by reading Charly's and the Blogger's that we have book sale on the brain! If you'd like to play along, first, visit Raven's Nest to find out the guidelines. Then post on your own blog and link to Raven's Mr. Linky. If you don't have a blog, you can e-mail it to us and we'll post it with ours.

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: Tibetan sky, symbols, won’t you come home Bill Baily, shadow figures, brain cortex, practice makes perfect, life, start of school, lavender, chow down And for the mini: mental hospital, falling leaves, apple cider, packing crates, clues

Charly:

Driving through the mountains on this rural road, I feel as though we're back in time. Such a peaceful day, little traffic and a brisk wind now and then. An old grocery store looms ahead and we decide to make a stop. With old gas pumps and apple PACKING CRATES piled along the side of the building there are no CLUES as to what we'll find as we enter the store. A few locals inside are chatting about the new construction going on down the road; a MENTAL HOSPITAL they say. They appear to be happy that jobs are forthcoming. We buy refreshments and go sit in the garden behind the building. Sitting in the fresh air on this glorious day one feels at peace with the FALLING LEAVES drifting downward in shades of red and gold, it's a sure sign that Fall is on the way. In the quietness of the garden you can hear the hum of a buzz saw and faint hammering; must be the building the locals spoke about. As I bring the mug of hot APPLE CIDER to my lips, with eyes closed I savor the aroma it brings forth..Hey, wait a minute-- it smells like coffee. Coffee??? I open my eyes and see my husband placing a cup of coffee on the night stand. With a little nudge and a smile on his face he says, 'time to get a move on it..you've got a book Sale to run.'

Kit:

Imported apple cider - in their packing crates,

were seen sitting - ready for delivery..

To the patients within - this mental hospital,

where all are treated - with embraced civility..

Some patients have - no earthly clues,

what these crates hold - but know they're for them..

They all understand - it is something to drink,

that the lavender logo means - it's from a friend.

In the background - Won't you come home Bill Bailey,

is heard playing - as one enters the hall..

And, if one looks out - you'd see falling leaves,

under a Tibetan sky - gently landing as they fall..

While patients sit at tables - ready to chow down,

their brain cortex - never bring thoughts to mind..

They just live - in their own little worlds,

not even knowing - when it's their bedtime.

Some appear as shadow figures - no more than symbols,

of the former life - that they once knew..

Others act as little children - at the start of school,

with anticipation and joy - in all they'll do..

They all seem happy - in these surroundings,

which is given credence - by all their smiles..

And, if practice makes perfect - they've succeeded,

for their souls have traveled - many angelic miles.

Blogger:

The Semi-Annual Friends of Reston Regional Library Used Book Sale is a great place to find a treasure that may change your life. Whether you dream of hiking under a Tibetan sky, growing and harvesting lavender, singing the old tune, “Won’t you come home Bill Baily?”, or understanding the intricacies of the brain cortex, we probably have a book or CD about it. Many people visit the fall sale because it’s at the start of school. One woman said yesterday that she found every one one of the books for her daughter’s AP English class in our literature section. One reason our book sale is the best in the region because we clearly mark everything that needs to be identified, using symbols or words. This sale we have received many compliments about the way the sale is organized. That’s because practice makes perfect. We have been doing this for years and years, and have learned each time how to implement things better the next time. Another reason for our success is that we have the best volunteers in the county, that’s for sure, and we take good care of them. One of the enticements to work the sale is that we chow down on food donated by local merchants that is truly tasteful. The third reason for our amazing sale success is the shadow figures such as Pam, Anne, Ron and Cheryl who make sure everything behind the scenes is on track as well. This is an amazing team, and it benefits the library by over $30k each sale. Good job everyone!

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: family, cheese cake, 20 years ago, refrigerator, laugh and the world laughs with you, bath brush, zombies, African violets, butterflies, holding hands

And for the mini: monsters in the closet, roughly, bowling, menu, Pennsylvania

SAY IT ISN'T SO!

It isn't so. That's right, the Washington Post (Fairfax Section) got it wrong. Our trade paperbacks are not $10 per copy. They're $1.00 Slight typo on their part. But we know that our book sale patrons are WAY smarter than to read something that says hardbacks start at $1.50, trade paperbacks start at $10 and mass market paperbacks start at $.50 and think that the ten dollars is a real number.

Thanks to the sharp readers who saw it -- sorry if it confused anyone. But again, we know that you're smarter than that. After all, you're smart enough to attend the best used book sale in Fairfax County year after year! Way smart.

/kw

Book Sale Bonanza!

Wow! Friends' Night on Wednesday evening set a new record for sales. We don't know if it's changing the day to Wednesday (forced by new library closing times) or what, but LOTS of people came and LOTS of people spent money. We also know that it's due to LOTS of volunteers sorting, packing, and displaying great quality books at bargain prices.

So you feel like you missed out? Well, there are still 4 days of the book sale left, opening to the General Public today at 10. If you still feel left out, purchase a membership before the spring book sale (last weekend in April) and join us on Friends Night then!

-----------------

If you're looking for something really interesting to do on the weekend (after attending our book sale), you might want to check this out at the City of Fairfax Regional Library:

Any of you who might have personal recollections of the 1930s (either your own or stories from your family) that you would like to share on tape come to Room 214 between 11 and 3 at City of Fairfax Library Saturday. Volunteers from GMU's Special Collections Dept. will be conducting oral history interviews that will be videotaped for posterity.

Other Special Events that day

Soul of a People: A Community Celebration of the WPA Federal Writers Project
September 26 at City of Fairfax Regional Library
Come learn more about the 1930s and the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Writers Project when the City of Fairfax Regional Library celebrates “Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story,” an event presented in conjunction with the Smithsonian Channel’s documentary and David A Taylor’s book. The library’s Virginia Room will display photos of Fairfax County during the 1930s and will collect oral histories from Fairfax County residents, plus a series of events will offer glimpses into the culture of the 1930s, including the following:

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. — Award-winning musician Bill Wellington performs folk music from the 1930s. Storyteller Bill Wellington has entertained audiences, and especially young audiences, throughout America for over thirty years. He began his career in 1977 as artist-in-residence in a small mountain community in West Virginia. Bill is also a folk musician performing on banjo, fiddle and guitar. In 1987 he won the West Virginia Old Time Banjo Championship. Bill Wellington has performed at the National Theatre, the Smithsonian, the International Children’s Festival and at over 1,000 elementary schools. In September 2007 he toured in Denmark and Sweden with Troublesome Creek String Band.

3:00 p.m. — Dick Stohr, That Yo-Yo Guy — who has set six yo-yo World Records! — performs tricks and discusses yo-yo history, including the story of Don Duncan Sr., who trademarked the name Yo-Yo and sparked its tremendous popularity in the 1930s.

The Friends of the Virginia Room are holding a Used History Book Sale in Room 103 from 10-4 on Saturday. There are lots of Virginia History and Civil War books, biographies and much more.

/kw

New Floor Plan

This is the new floor plan for the Semi-Annual Used Book Sale. We have more room for more books now that the Children's Sale items are broken out for a separate sale. Woo hoo! See you tomorrow night!

CLICK HERE FOR FLOOR PLAN

One Week to Go

It doesn't seem possible, but it is true. One week from tonight we will begin our Fall 09 Semi-Annual Used Book Sale!

To make shopping more pleasant for everyone, we will follow our usual guidelines. Those are:

1. If you're going into

the Specials Room, we'll ask you to leave your other books and bags outside on a cart with your name (we have slips) on

them. This helps control the flow of books in and out of the Specials Room, helps minimize damage to the books there, and allows more patrons to move around in there

searching for books.

2. Each sale we get a few complaints about a few patrons' behavior. We ask that you remember that people of all kinds attend this sale. In a perfect world we would all be polite to one another. However, this isn't a perfect world and some people let their enthusiasm for good bargains trump what their moms should have taught them about common courtesy. If another patron's behavior is egregious, please notify one of the book sale workers. We will try to address the situation. That said, we reserve the right to ask anyone who is being a nuisance to leave.

3. Dealers. Some non-dealer patrons ask us why we allow dealers to come and purchase so many books. Some of our dealer and reseller patrons have been loyal and faithful book buyers for years. We appreciate their business. We know there are other book sales, and they choose to spend their money with us. If the non-dealer patrons would or could purchase the volume of books the dealers do, we could ban dealers. But we wouldn't because we LIKE our dealer friends, and we LIKE our non-dealer patrons, so we just ask that everyone give others a measure of grace. If we all act like we are civilized, we will

all benefit from that. That said, we reserve the right to ask anyone who is being a nuisance to leave.

4. Backpacks -- we banned these during the Children's Book Sale and it was such a more pleasant environment that we will continue this practice. No backpacks -- not the kind that holds stuff and not the kind that holds kids. If you have to bring little ones, please be aware that there will be NO children's books, and that we will no longer allow backpacks to carry the kids in. Fire Marshal rules prohibit strollers.

5. We restock all weekend and will do our best to keep the room full of good stuff to

choose from. That said -- we can't get them to the tables if you aren't cognizant of us trying to move through the crowd. When you hear a book sale worker say, "excuse me" or "coming through", please let them do so. It may be your favorite genre they're bringing in!

6. Next Wednesday night is Friends' Night. That means you need to have a current membership to shop on Wednesday, 23 September. You can purchase or renew that night, but you'll spend less time in line if you go ahead and do it before hand. Use the sidebar to the right and we'll take care of our end immediately.

7. As always, we value your patronage and support. Please help us by providing constructive criticism (preferably after the sale) about what can be improved!

/kw

Book Review Monday

The blogger rarely reads brand new books. One of the reasons is that they tend not to be sitting in the donation bin! The blogger will confess that after working at the book sale and purchasing hardcover books with dust jackets for $1.50, she is hard pressed to pay retail OR wait on the hold list for most books. So when a book jumps into her hand from the donation bin, she usually feels compelled to read it.

This book, East of the Mountains by David Guterson, is one of those books. It is the story of a retired heart surgeon, Ben Givens, who has been traumatized by life. He has lost his beloved wife, and now his own body is riddled with terminal cancer. As a physician, he is fully aware of the messy clinical death that awaits him and he resolves to avoid it. Further, he resolves to spare anyone else (including his daughter and grandson) that experience.

A long time hunter, Ben decides to go out for one last hunting trip with his dogs during which he plans to take his own life, making it look like a hunting accident. But life has a funny way of intervening with our own will to end it, and Ben is drawn back from the brink through a series of events that connect his still-living heart to the hearts of others he meets along the way.

This book is a stark confrontation with the reality many try to avoid. We will all die, but how we choose to live is the legacy we pass on. Thinking through these things is part of what makes us human.

The book is worth reading, and copies will be be available for sale, along with zillions of other books, at the Semi-Annual Used Book Sale at Reston Regional Library, beginning September 23 with Friends Night. Not a member? Use the sidebar to become one or to renew. That will get you in at 5 p.m. on Wednesday night. On Thursday, September 24, we'll open to the General Public at 10 a.m. See ya then!

Comments, questions, suggestions? E-mail us or comment!

/kw

Spring Book Sale Take Down

There's a blog called "Wordless Wednesday." It's where people post photos that need no explanation. You'll probably see it here again...when there's no Friends news. The link: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/

photos by Darlene

ONE WEEK TO GO!

One week from today will be the first day of public admission to the Spring 09 Semi-Annual Used Book Sale! You'll want to attend EARLY and OFTEN. We restock constantly and we have thousands of titles. Bring your list, and prepare to be surprised by new finds and treasures!

The sale opens when the library does, at 10 a.m. This map will give you an idea of where the different genre await your patronage! Some things to remember:

1.  If you're going into the Specials Room, we'll ask you to leave your other books and bags outside on a cart with your name (we have slips) on them. This helps control the flow of books in and out of the Specials Room, helps minimize damage to the books there, and allows more patrons to move around in there searching for books. There are few things more irritating than not being able to see a book because someone's backpack or purse is in your way -- and the person is totally oblivious.

2.  Having addressed the topic of people being oblivious, it is time to address another delicate area.  Each sale we get a few complaints about a few patrons' behavior.  We ask that you remember that people of all kinds attend this sale. In a perfect world we would all be polite to one another. However, this isn't a perfect world and some people let their enthusiasm for good bargains trump what their moms should have taught them about common courtesy. If another patron's behavior is egregious, please notify one of the book sale workers. We will try to address the situation.  That said, we reserve the right to ask anyone who is being a nuisance to leave.

3.  Dealers. Some non-dealer patrons ask us why we allow dealers to come and purchase so many books.  Umm...because it's a book sale? The dealers have to make a living too. Some of our dealer and reseller patrons have been loyal and faithful book buyers for years. We appreciate their business. We know there are other book sales, and they choose to spend their money with us. If the non-dealer patrons would or could purchase the volume of books the dealers do, we could ban dealers. But we wouldn't because we LIKE our dealer friends, and we LIKE our non-dealer patrons, so we just ask that everyone give others a measure of grace. If we all act like we are civilized, we will all benefit from that. That said, we reserve the right to ask anyone who is being a nuisance to leave.

SPRING 2009 SEMI-ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE

FRIENDS NIGHT - THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 6-8:30 P.M.

GENERAL PUBLIC

Friday, April 24, 10-5; Saturday April 25, 10-4:30;

 Sunday April 26, 12-3:30

photo by Darlene

/kw

Historical Volunteer

Mike S. has a lot of history with the Friends of the Reston Regional Library. An avid reader, Mike found us first by coming to the Semi Annual Used Book Sales as a patron. Then he found out he could get first crack at the books by becoming a Friend of the Library, so he signed up and began attending Friends night. Then he discovered that by volunteering to help with set-up, he really got the first look at the books and could purchase books he enjoyed. The spring after he retired, Booksale Chair Charly K. nabbed him. She asked if he'd be interested in sorting...and the rest, as they say, is history. Mike has been a sorter since then, continues to work the book sales, and has served on the Board of Directors of Friends of Reston Regional Library as well. He's the guy you see on Thursday restocking the on-going sale area.

But wait, there's more! Mike doesn't volunteer only for the Reston Library. He has found a little corner of Loudoun County that needs someone who is patient and meticulous, and has given them his time and talent for several years.

Mike also volunteers at the Heritage Farm Museum in Claude Moore Park in Sterling.  He assists the curator.  A few years ago he was looking for some different volunteer work because he "seemed to be spending too much time at home reading."  A museum job was a possibility, so when he saw a museum booth at a senior job fair he stopped to ask questions.  He had never heard of it and hadn't visited the park, although he kept saying he should check it out.  After doing so he asked for a position behind the scenes.  He worked for about 10 months or so, left for a while to work at the Loudoun Co. Govt. Building for a year clipping articles and through some strange coincidences ended up back at the Farm Museum.

During Mike's first "tour" at the Museum he helped clean and conserve an ancient apple sorting

 machine, transcribed an oral interview with an old farmer into the computer, and filed donated artifacts and annotated folders in the archives. 

Mike says, "The museum has two main archive collections.  One is invoices and postal material from the Waxpool General Store from 1899 to the 1940's.  The store closed and sat vacant for about 50 years from 1946.  Part of it was then moved to the Farm Museum where kids now play with plastic vegetables and old envelopes encased in plastic."

He goes on, "The second collection is the James Smith and family letters and his journal with dates from 1815 to 1872. Mr. Smith was an abolitionist farmer from New York State who was born in Scotland, took over his father's farm in NY and migrated to Virginia in 1849.  Among the largely family stuff in the letters are some politics, some Civil War mentions and much religious sentiments.  The journal contains essays and poems and accounts of trips to the Midwest and Virginia.  I have just been studying how to do archiving and the curator and I will start this coming week to re-number the items.  The old acquisition numbers and arrangement of items do not allow a researcher to work with the material and there's a trove of history there."

Why does Mike do it?  "I love the work.  History is one of my passions and now I'm into it at a basic level, reading old letters and seeing the many companies and myriad goods a general store dealt with.  I'm also seeing how a lack of information on a collection hampers the archiving and research into the material.  The Farm Museum has only four salaried, county employees.  So volunteers are always needed to man the front desk, prepare things for kids activities, clean, plant in the heritage garden and assist with special programs.  The Museum offers classes for elementary schoolers in a variety of subjects and birthday and tea parties for kids.  A bluegrass weekend jam has been

 started twice a month.  Volunteers get a party and free apples at the Fall Apple Festival.  Working with the 

staff and other volunteers is just great and the amount of responsibility and involvement in the work that I get is both amazing and deeply rewarding."

As we've said before, we get the VERY BEST volunteers with 

Friends of the Reston Regional Library! Mike S. is a great example of someone who 'retired' and 'went back to work'. We are fortunate to have him and grateful he continues. We don't have many male volunteers so any men who want to lend their wisdom and muscles are welcome to come join Mike! Everyone is welcome to meet Mike and all of our other fabulous volunteers at the end of April at our Semi-Annual Used Book Sale! You do NOT want to miss this event!

SPRING 2009 SEMI-ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE

FRIENDS NIGHT - THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 6-8:30 P.M.

GENERAL PUBLIC

Friday, April 24, 10-5; Saturday April 25, 10-4:30;

 Sunday April 26, 12-3:30

/kw