LIBRARY BOOK SALE A SUCCESS

Hardcover and paperback books covered tables at the Cape Girardeau Public Library Saturday morning at the beginning of the Friends of the Library annual book sale. By Sunday afternoon, the tables were 5,000 books lighter.

"We did great," said library director Terry Risko. "The response was tremendous. We had $2,600 income from the sale. Last year, we had $400."

"I saw a lot of enthusiasm at the sale," he added. "There were 200 people here at a time on Saturday."

He said the sponsoring Friends organization is growing and now has over 300 members. Volunteers from the organization and library personnel staffed the sale.

Risko credits several factors for the success of the event. He cited good media coverage, better quality books, a different pricing method and having a tent for more visibility.

"A lot of books in the sale were ones culled from the library shelves," the director said. "In our collection development plan, we are keeping the collection credible and up-to-date. The process will be ongoing so more culled books from the shelves will be available next year.

Some of the sale books, including some semi-rare volumes, were donated by library patrons and community members. Some were well over a century old.

Unsold books are being donated to permanent collections at local nursing homes and similar institutions.