Library ready for 13th

THIRTEEN may seem an unlucky number for some, but any such superstition is unlikely to affect interest in Feilding Public Library’s 13th annual week-long book sale which begins on Monday (May 7).

More than 4000 books have been “weeded out” of the library’s existing collection and will be available to buyers each day until Saturday, when any left-overs will be free.

Library Manager Simon Johnson said turnover of stock for all well funded libraries was important as the removal of those publications affected by lack of use or age meant fresh material for the shelves.

“People find it irritating if they go into a shop and most of what they see they don’t want,” he said. “We go through our stock every year to find what people are not borrowing and replace them with books that they do want and don’t have to hunt for.”

Mr Johnson said the books offered catered for a wide range of tastes, with non-fiction subjects such as craftwork, gardening and travel likely to be the most popular, though demand was always strong for popular fiction, children’s books and large print titles.

Sale prices ranged from 50c for many children’s books to $5 for quality coffee table-sized publications.

The sale runs Monday to Friday during the library’s normal operating hours of 10am to 5.30pm and up to 7.30pm on Wednesday.

Mr Johnson anticipated another “first in, first served” rush on the first morning and urged buyers to bring their own shopping bags if they were looking to buy a number of books as the library did not have an endless supply of supermarket bags.

Proceeds from the sale, which yielded a record $6151 last year, will go towards replacement stock.