Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff Writer
Clovis’ Susan Bell was on the hunt for party favors Saturday.
But she wasn’t looking for balloons and toys; she was searching for 15 or 16 children’s books at the Friends of the Library Book Sale at the Clovis-Carver Public Library.
Auria Bell, who is turning 11 later this month, said she and her mom decided together to highlight books at her birthday party.
“(Auria) wanted a Paris fashion party, and since there is nothing I know about Paris we figured it would be cool to have (books) on the tables, and stack them around the food, and let the kids come and do games, and come get them afterwards,” Susan Bell said. “They don’t get a lot of books during the summer, and we know that our kids are avid book readers.”
Volunteer and Adult Services Librarian Sarah Lewis stacked more than 3,000 donated books on tables at the library to raise money for future library programs.
“People are very generous,” Lewis said. “We have lots and lots of books.”
The books were cheap. Many that retailed for more than $20 were marked down to just a couple of bucks, and some were sold for 50 cents a bag.
Lewis said the quarterly book sale can raise up to $800 to fund library programs that require materials, supplies, and refreshments.
“As adult services librarian I don’t have any budget — all of my funding comes from either sponsorship or Friends of the Library,” Lewis said. “Book sales are pretty popular ... it’s one of our biggest fundraisers.”
Susan Bell said her family members are regulars at the book sale.
“We’ve been several times — in fact, that’s how we get in trouble,” Bell said. “We have shelves of books, just an impossible amount of books.”
Kendra Land checked out of the sale with a variety of 20 books chosen by her daughter, on topics ranging from art and music to history.
“It helps support the library and keeps the library going,” Land said. “We need a public library. It’s awesome for kids, older people — and there is just so much they can do at a library.”
