Booth Book Nook Overlooked

By Nancy K. Crevier

It is a long time until September’s annual C.H. Booth Labor Day Book Sale, but clued-in book lovers know they do not have to wait the whole year for great buys on great books. There is a special book store, right here in Newtown, that caters to the frugal-minded bibliophile. Not everyone knows about it, though.

The Book Nook is a “year around book store,” says manager Peg Jacques of the more than 25 feet of shelves that make up the enterprise operated by The Friends of the Library on the second floor of C.H. Booth Library. Ms Jacques, a board member and volunteer for The Friends, has been in charge of The Book Nook since October. Since taking over the responsibilities of the position, she has worked to computerize the entire system.

“I can scan the bar code [on a book] now,” she says, “and it tells me the publisher, when the book was published and the genre. From there, that’s what goes into pricing the book.”

From pocket-sized paperbacks selling for $1 to like-new hard-bound titles found on The New York Times Bestsellers list priced at $6 to $8, customers can expect to find bargains in any one of several genres stocked at The Book Nook.

“The books sell for anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of the list price,” says Ms Jacques.

Computerizing the system also has allowed Ms Jacques to determine what books sell and what books do not sell at The Book Nook. The number one best-selling genre, she says, is fiction, with history, cooking and craft books, and mystery books coming in second.

“We sell an awful lot of children’s books, too,” Ms Jacques notes. “I try to price these very reasonably to encourage reading.”

Where do the books come from?

“It all starts in the sorting room,” she says. “The sorters pull the best books donated to the library, books that are new or gently new. Then I look through them and choose the ones I think will sell here. We have every kind of book.”

Packed shelves lining the back wall of the room verify her claim. Science books, math, cooking, gardening, young adult, children’s, fiction, mystery, and romance books are neatly labeled and shelved. And like a cat with nine lives, says Ms Jacques, books that are purchased at The Book Nook are often redonated to the library. They might not make a reappearance on the shelves of The Book Nook, but chances are they will find their way to the annual September sale.

Repeat customers, many of whom have frequented The Book Nook since its inception in a coffee shop on Church Hill Road nearly ten years ago, know that they can count on personal service from Ms Jacques.

“I take requests from customers, and then I keep my eyes open for the book to come through. If it does, I’ll have the librarians set it aside for them.”

She cannot, of course, guarantee that she will be able to honor every request. “I’m kind of limited by what [is donated]. I try to get the biggest variety I can,” she says.

Regulars to The Book Nook always find new selections, thanks to the efforts put forth by Ms Jacques and her assistant, Bonnie Miller. At least four times a week, they replace books that are sold. Each quarter, they replace all of the books in a section, as well. Frequent visitors to The Book Nook may notice that Ms Jacques has recently added several new categories of books.

“We have a section for the Oprah Book Club books, a poetry section and a classics section, for example,” she points out. In just the past two months, she has added a section for educational books. Many are geared toward preschoolers and young children, but she does have math books and technical books that are particularly helpful for homeschoolers, she says.

In January, The Book Nook sold 582 books, adding a nice sum to the coffers of The Friends. All of the money from the sales of books in The Book Nook goes to The Friends of the Library. Board members determine how that money will be allocated to the library. None of it is for basic upkeep of the library, Ms Jacques says.

“The Friends of the Library money goes to enhance the library. We paid for the wireless network, we have bought computers, updated books, that sort of thing. It helps make our library what it is: one of the best in the state.”

Says Ms Jacques, “We want people to realize we are here. We have been here in the library since 1998, but it is surprising how many people ask, ‘Where is The Book Nook?’”

Spread the word: The Book Nook is located past the circulation desk on the second floor of C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street. It is open the same hours as the library: Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm, Friday from noon to 5 pm, Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 to 5. Call the library, 426-4533, for additional information.