The excitement builds as more people join the line and it gets closer to 9 am, opening time at the DeKalb Public Library. When the doors are finally unlocked, people stream across the lobby and head down the stairs, excited to be the first shoppers at the library’s spring used book sale. There’s a low murmur as people head for the tables overflowing with their favorite kinds of books.
We volunteers witness many gestures of generosity and community as we staff the sales table and straighten books during the weekend. We see total strangers recommending favorite books to one other. We see a man in line paying for the books of a woman who has forgotten her credit card. We see a surprising number of people who say “keep the change” when they pay for their books.
Much is said these days about the fraying of our communities amid a growing sense of loneliness and division. The library book sale offers a different picture of a community event that brings hundreds of people of all ages, incomes and ethnic backgrounds to the library. They are united by their love of books and the thrill of the hunt. The bargains are fun, too.
The book sales happen twice a year and are organized by the Friends of the DeKalb Public Library, who sort and sell the many books, DVDs, CDs and jigsaw puzzles that are donated by the community. All the money raised goes to the library to buy books and pay for programs that are free to the public. The next book sale is in November.
I’m Deborah Booth and that’s my Perspective.
