Sally Gomez, Kingsburg
Volunteers from the Friends of the Kingsburg Library raised approximately $1,000 for the well-used community branch during their annual book sale. Temperatures soared during the Kingsburg Swedish Festival on May 15 and 16, but volunteers braved the sweltering heat as they sold more than 1,500 books.
The annual book sale is the primary source of fund raising for the Friends group, and local bibliophiles look forward to the sale every year. Kingsburg Library staff field phone calls in the days leading up to the sale from interested buyers asking if the sale will in fact take place and if there will be boxes and boxes of books just like years prior.
The sale takes days of preparation, as donated books are received at the library and stored in its basement. Local students volunteer to help sort the books and carry them upstairs for the sale.
The Friends of the Kingsburg Library have been extremely supportive of the branch and have used funds to purchase items to improve library services. Past purchases have included a Wii gaming system and a flat screen TV. Recently, the Friends group purchased new benches and planters to beautify the building from the outside.
“The benches are great and very colorful,” said branch librarian Sally Gomez of the mint and chocolate colored benches and planters. “They get well used. It’s especially nice for the folks who get here before we open. They have someplace to sit and wait.”
The Friends of the Kingsburg Library also sponsored an open house earlier this year, offering snacks, entertainment and a chance to meet their new branch librarian. Sally was promoted to branch librarian of the Kingsburg Library in February.
Linda Sward, a member of the Friends group, said that she supports the library because she has always had an affinity for libraries.
“I think for me and for probably everyone involved in the group … the library has been and will continue to be an important part of our life. It’s an important resource,” said Sward.
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