Used Book Sale Impacts Library Resources

The Third Annual Used Book Sale at the Oakland Public Library took place over the weekend and yielded some real results.

“We were packed wall to wall on from the start on Friday night,” said Ronnie Levine of the library. “The library is very pleased and very much appreciates the support of the community. We worked very hard on this and it is nice to see that all of that work has been supported.”

The Oakland Public Library has seen their budget get reduced over recent years. The result of a lower budget can often mean the cutting of programs, staff or quality.

“We’ve lost nearly $145,000 from the State over the past 3 years. That was determined by the real estate assessment. That goes down but salaries and expenses don’t go down, which is why these events are so important,” said Levine.  

In Oakland, the library plays an important role as it is located in the lot with Valley Middle School. Students often go directly from school to the library to do homework or participate in organized activities such as, movie specials, craft creations and story times.

“Everything earned as a result of the book sale goes back into the library,” said Levine. “These funds will go into the children’s summer program, the museum passes we provide to patrons and to keep an adequate stock of our 7-day books.” 

For more information on events that take place at the Oakland Public Library or how to help keep the library going strong visit their website.