Move helps group keep up with used book flow

MOSES LAKE - The Friends of the Moses Lake Library are experimenting with their book sale this week.

For the first time, the book sale, which begins Thursday at 2 p.m. and runs through 6 p.m., will take place entirely out of the storage room, located in the auditorium downstairs at the library, at 418 E. Fifth Ave., in Moses Lake.

"I kind of liken this as an experiment because of space limitations we are faced with," Friends of the Library President Glenna Bingham said. "We are hoping we can maybe do this every other month, rather than have one big sale."

Bingham said the group hopes to be able to keep up with the flow of used books coming into the library.

"When we take into consideration the group is getting smaller," she explained, noting other libraries have similar ongoing sales.

The book sale Thursday has a "good supply" of fiction and paperbacks, which Bingham said are always favorites.

Previous book sales have received a positive response, but Bingham doesn't know how many people they typically draw.

"We've never kept track," she said. "Sometimes it's overwhelming when we have it in the auditorium. They flock down right at the beginning. The librarians keep telling me everyone asks 'When is the next book sale?' constantly."

The group used to put the book sale on twice a year, but that hasn't happened in several years, Bingham said.

The group is cautioning potential book buyers there may be a short wait due to the size of the room, but she notes it can hold several people at the same time. Four Friends of the Library will staff the book sale.

"Hopefully when we get our new library, our patrons will be comfortable knowing the books are available every month or so," Bingham said. "When we get our new library, we will have our own room and we hope it will be more accessible to the patrons."

The group's efforts for the new library are going slowly, Bingham said. There is a public meeting tonight at 4 p.m., in the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce office.

"People are always looking for used books, it really amazes me," she said. "Some people have their own libraries (at home), and it's fun to discuss books they've got and they have found. That interesting classic they find hidden in a shelf in a book sale makes them happy people."

For more information, call the Moses Lake Library at 509-765-3489.