Make room on your bookshelf because the Alvin Sherman Library will be hosting their 26 semi-annual used book sale.
The book sale will be open for NSU students Oct. 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is also a special pre-sale for NSU faculty, staff and Circle of Friends members on Oct. 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. Cash and checks are the only methods of payment that will be accepted.
There are over 300 boxes of textbooks, fiction, non-fiction and children’s books to be sold. All items are priced at $3 and under and there are several bundle options at low prices. A bundle of one to three fiction hardcover books are bundled for the price of $2. There will be something for everyone with DVDs priced at $1 each, Blu-rays priced at $2, CDs for one dollar and video games for $3.
Although the books are priced at a low cost, the books’ quality is not compromised. “They’re a great deal,” said Emily Bibisi, library administrative coordinator. “It’s kind of ridiculous. We physically check every book. You are never going to find a book that is dirty, written in or highlighted. It is just a really great deal. It’s a win-win.”
Several of the items for sale are donations made to the library. The books collected come from estates, members of the community, faculty and other libraries. These donations are either added to the Alvin Sherman Library’s collection or put up for sale in attempt to find a good home. The Alvin Sherman Library has also donated items from their vast collection.
“Somebody wants [that book],” said Susan Berkman, library assistant director of collection development and technical services.
“After the book sale whatever is left we give to Better World Books. We ship it to them. They try to sell it on their website, and then they send us checks as they sell it. Sometimes the psychology department if they are working with a school, program or children in need, they’ll ask for some of the books left over and bring them to local schools. We have done [donations] for a charity in the Bahamas one time. They get distributed back to the community.”
“People get attached to their books,” said Berkman. “One of my friends is moving. She went into her attic, and she pulled out her books. Now she has a grandchild, so she has pulled out all the Dr. Seuss that her kids had, all the Nancy Drew and all the books we read as a kid. It’s nostalgic.”
This book sale solely benefits the community. All the proceeds will contribute to the Donald E. Riggs Library Education Assistance Fund and provide four scholarships to library staff members. These scholarships will allow four librarians to continue their education in the library sciences.
For those interested in donating their gently used books, donations are accepted throughout the year. Donations can be dropped off at the library’s circulation desk. Students and community members can add to their personal library and help library staff members at the same time.
