Library Funded By Sale, Help From Friends

Book enthusiasts will have three days to stock their shelves with items from the Cranford Public Library's used book sale.

Sponsored and run by the Friends of the Public Library, the sale starts Thursday evening and runs until Saturday afternoon. All proceeds go to benefit the library.

"Residents should drop by because there's a large selection of books at bargain prices and patronizing the book sale benefits the library, which, in turn, benefits the entire community," said John Malar, library director. "It's also a great form of recycling."

Items for sale include children's and adult books, both paperback and hardcover, videos, DVDs, CDs, books-on-tape and books-on-CD.  Shoppers are in for a bargain or two as items are priced between $.25 and $6, with most being between $.25 and $2.  A few items of special value may be marked higher than $6.

All items were donated by the public.

The Friends have held book sales since the mid-1990s. In 2002, they cleared out a space in the library basement and set up a permanent book sale site.  Book sales are also usually held in March, June, August and, of course, October.

Money raised by the Friends will help fund two upcoming musical programs: Merynda Adams, a harpist; and a string trio from the Rutgers Concert Bureau.  Friends' funds will also underwrite the costs of the children's summer reading program and of the foreign, documentary and classic film series.

The sale runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.