Book Sale Organizers Report Another Blockbuster Year

By Jan Howard

It was another blockbuster year for the Friends of the C.H. Booth Labor Day Book Sale. The 29th annual sale ended on Wednesday, September 8, with last-day attendees picking up whatever books and other items remained books for free. Organizers called the sale “the best ever.”

“We had a successful book sale,” Chairman Joanne Zang said Wednesday.

At press time Ms Zang was unable to say exactly how much was raised this year. “The money is still being counted,” she said.

However, she noted, “We did just as well as last year. We had more customers and sold more books than any other year.”

Last year the Friends of the Library grossed more than $113,000 from the annual sale.

It was a banner year this year in the rare book room, Ms Zang said. “We sold three-quarters of them and brought in twice as much money as last year.”

After free day, basically nothing is left at Bridgeport Hall, Ms Zang said. Representatives of social service groups, teachers, and others come and take away most of the leftovers, she noted.

On bag day, Tuesday, “We had many people from out of state,” she said. “They stuff their cars.” Some of them have online book sales but others, she added, “just want a good deal.”

“Over a thousand bags were sold” on Tuesday, she said, which she said was her personal goal.

All the proceeds benefit the library. Ms Zang said part of the money raised this year would be used for an endowment for the library. Other funds raised by the book sale would not be used for everyday expenses, she said, but for the extras the library needs.

“That’s what makes Booth Library one of the best in the state,” Ms Zang said.

The book sale offered more books than ever this year, more than 160,000 in 76 categories, as well as records, tapes, and CDs. It received a boost of about 3,000 books from the collection of the late Ernest Hillman, Jr, of Fairfield, which also led to the new category this year of royalty.

Many volunteers worked throughout the year to prepare for the sale, sorting, pricing, and boxing donated books to make the Booth sale one of the largest in the Northeast. These and many other volunteers also work throughout the book sale, according to Friends President Mary Maki.

Ms Maki this week lauded the volunteers “who give up all or part of their holiday weekend to work at the sale, helping customers find just the right book, keeping the tables neat as a pin, and carrying bags and boxes to cars for customers who have purchased more than they can handle.”

She said the book sale “is about so many Newtown residents working together toward a common goal.”

Ms Maki noted the accomplishments of the Friends of the Library. “We donate funds for the children’s department and programs, and make sure there are enough funds for new and replacement books.

“We are especially proud to support the new Young Adult librarian and to help build her collection, including support for the YA Creative Writing Camp held this summer.”

What About Next Year’s Sale?

Impending remediation and demolition procedures on the campus at Fairfield Hills will likely displace the Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale for at least one of the next few years. While the remediation of hazardous soil surrounding Bridgeport Hall may not directly impact the comings and goings of customers during any particular Labor Day weekend, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal told The Bee that activity in the general area may make accessing Bridgeport Hall hazardous.

According to Mr Rosenthal, the prospect of some remediation going on in the immediate area of Bridgeport House, along with some building demolition, is a certainty.

“We would like to coordinate these two activities so they are going on at the same time,” he said. “When certain phases of the demolition are going on there is certainly the probability that the entire campus would be closed off at the time of the book sale.”

Both Mr Rosenthal and members of the Ad Hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee have stated their concerns are not only for volunteers who may be working on organizing the sale, but for patrons who may be exposed to airborne hazardous materials stirred up during the demolition process.

 “We’re at the mercy of the town,” Ms Zang said. “But to have the sale anywhere else would be impossible. It’s too big, and it takes too much time to set up.”

Book Sale Co-chairman Peter Stern said the open access to Bridgeport Hall was critical, because book storage and sorting goes on all year. In fact, for more than three weeks, the library has been taking in books for next year’s book sale, and the limited amount of surplus storage space at the library is already filling to capacity.

“We’re inundated with books already for next year’s sale,” he said.

The prospect of using off-site storage is problematic, Ms Zang said, because books need certain climatic conditions to avoid moisture-related rot and mildewing. “We couldn’t really use portable trailers or cold storage,” she said. “But despite all the unknowns we will remain flexible.”

The timeline for demolition and soil remediation at and around Bridgeport Hall has not been set, but Mr Rosenthal said requests for quotes are being processed now, and he expects to have a much better idea of the particulars and schedules before the end of 2004.