After arriving at the “Animals and Nature” section of a book sale, Jessica Hinkebein opened up her backpack to survey her precious cargo.
The IU graduate student pulled out several mysteries and one romance novel and plopped them onto the table.
“Just some light reading,” she said.
Hinkebein, who studies library science, attended the semiannual Friends of the Library book sale that took place Monday at the Monroe County Public Library.
Starting last Friday, book buyers were able to sift through thousands of books, movies, magazines and audiobooks ranging from 25 cents to $1.
Hundreds of books remained and sat idly in dusty cardboard boxes and on metal shelves that ran across the perimeter of the room. As a result, the Friends of the Library offered the books for free in hopes that they’d find a home.
“There’s nothing better than free books,” Hinkebein said.
Even when the books were sold instead of given out for free, Hinkebein said $1 is a small price to pay to gain entry into a new world through a book.
Bookstore coordinator Mike Burns said the low prices were meant to give everyone access to new perspectives through books.
“We’re really the cheapest bookstore in town,” Burns said, “We try to keep prices low so the books get into the hands of people who might not be able to afford it.”
While Hinkebein shoveled her books back into her backpack, a child waddled around the room with a picture book in front of her face. Hinkebein said children had the most to gain from these sales. Because many families can’t afford to buy new books, used books from the Friends of the Library can be their gateway to reading, she said.
“The little ones need books the most to jumpstart that love and passion for reading,” she said. “This way, they get that access to books that they normally couldn’t afford.”
As an aspiring librarian, Hinkebein said she already embraces her own love of reading. The sale only added fuel to her passion, she said.
She said the books would be the newest addition to her personal collection of about 700 books filling six full bookcases. She’s not completely sure how she’ll fit them all into her bookshelves, but she’ll find a way, Hinkebein said.
“I’m being a bad girl and gathering up more books than I can fit in my apartment,” she said.
But the book buyers are not the only ones who stand to gain from the event, volunteer Patrick Murray said. While attendees get to buy cheap books, the library benefits from the extra funding. So far, the library has earned about $5,000, all of which will filter back into the community through library programs.
These programs include tutoring for children, teenagers and adults; events to support parents of young children; book clubs; new language instruction; and efforts to teach students about technology, among others.
“We serve the community first and foremost,” he said. “All our programs are for the children, the teens, the adults, everyone in the community.”
Wilson said he hopes the sale will help people understand the importance of libraries. Not only do they provide programs for people of all ages, but they are also a source of information vital to building an informed citizenship.
“The library helps people become good citizens who are capable of understanding the state of the world,” Wilson said. “The library is a keystone of being a good citizen, a cornerstone of democracy.”
Wilson encouraged people to come by when it is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays or Sundays in order to benefit themselves and the community at the same time.
If people have more books than they can handle, they can donate some, he said. Library volunteers will even pick them up if need be.
If she finds she can’t fit all her books into her six bookcases, Hinkebein said she would consider donating them to Friends of the Library to give them a new life and purpose.
By donating, Hinkebein said the books are passed on to people who will read them and benefit from what they have to say.
“A lot of the books are worn and dog-eared,” she said. “They had a life before this, but now they get a new one with a new person who wants to read.”
