A NEW RECORD!

The numbers are finally in and it's official -- the Friends of Reston Regional Library, Inc. set a new record for sales in the Fall 2008 Semi-Annual Used Book Sale!

These photos give a flavor of the sale.  The first is on the wet Friday morning with patrons waiting to get in and our dear volunteer Melody handing out lists of our specials and maps of our sales floor.   The second is what the books looked like BEFORE everyone came in Thursday night.  The third is what they looked like as we closed down on Sunday.

Well done, everyone!

Photos by Darlene

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We Want Your Books!

Today is the day we start receiving book donations again.  Our sorters are rested up and ready to do their job!  Please make it easier on us by considering the following guidelines before you make your trek to the library:

We are happy to accept:

Up to two boxes of books per household per day

DVDs, CDs, Books-on-tape/disc

Encyclopedias published within the last 10 years or before 1970

Only current magazines (last three months)

The exceptions are:

Any date for Architectural Digest, and Smithsonian

Any date for food and recipe periodicals (Gourmet, Food & Wine, Martha Stewart, Southern Living, etc.)

No National Geographic magazines although we will accept maps pulled from them

Computer books published within last five years

Textbooks published within last 10 years

No videos except: Travel, Educational, Sets.

We no longer accept phonograph records.

All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

There is a donation bin in the front of the library, just before you go through the sensors.  OR, you can drop your donation off at the back door.  If you'd like a receipt, you'll need to see one of the library staff at the front desk.

Thank you for your donations, and for complying with our guidelines.

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Specials

For those of you who have visited our Book Sale before and suffered browsing our "Specials Room", I'm sure that this time you were pleased to see our new shelves!  You often ask how we spend the money generated by the book sale.  Our first priority is fulfilling the wish list of the Reston Regional Library Branch Manager, Nadia Taran.  Our second is making improvements that will help our sales operations.  You know, sometimes you gotta spend money to make money.  The shelves in the Specials Room (and in the Sorter's Hallway) were part of that.

And WHAT an improvement.  No books falling on anyone (because of shelf dividers), no SHELVES falling on anyone (because they are sturdy), lots of room to display what we have.  The books were treated more gently as well because they had room to breathe.  This means that when the sale was finished, a large number of the specials (books priced $5 and up) had been sold.  Wow!  Thank you so much!

Running the specials desk, especially on the first night of the sale, can be very nerve-wracking because there are certain procedures we have to follow.  These procedures are designed to protect you and protect our inventory.  We record how many books you are purchasing, record your name and number, and take those books off your hands so you can continue shopping.  The books await your purchase at whichever cashier you have designated, and you present your claim check to add them to your purchase.  Your hands are free, and the more expensive books are accounted for all the way to the cashier.

Is it a bit tedious?  Sure, but our volunteers are wonderful, from the person who records the info, to the person who asks you to leave other bags and books outside the room on "hold" carts, to the runners who get your selections up to the cashier.  The procedures were developed partly to maintain inventory control of expensive items.  Thank you for being patient and understanding!

The next sale event is a mini-sale in November.  The Used Jigsaw Puzzle Sale is a fun event. Much smaller than a Semi-Annual used book sale, it occurs in the front area of the library (new books area).   Starting tomorrow (Saturday), we will be delighted to receive your donated jigsaw puzzles!

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