By Amira Bennabi Kunbargi
One of my favorite summer pastimes is leisurely library visits with my children. We browse the book aisles, hunt for old favorites, and check out the newest books on display. This year we’ll be taking Mindful Muslim Reader’s brand new downloadable booklist with us. But did you know you can do more than just borrow books at your local library?
If you’ve never heard of “Friends of the Library,” be prepared to up your library game this summer. (You’re welcome!)
If you already love “Friends of the Library,” then you can fan-girl here with me.
“Friends of the Library” is a group of volunteers who support their local libraries through a wide variety of activities, but one of the most fun is the small used-book stores they often run inside or attached to the library. They sell books donated by your local community for very low prices (think $0.50 to $3 range). Even better is the seasonal book purge when you can fill an entire brown paper grocery bag with books for just $5.
The best part about Friends of the Library is the proceeds support your community library so no need to feel guilty for your excessive book shopping spree.
The stores I’ve visited (and I’ve visited many across the states) can range from a few shelves inside the library to an entire book store nestled in or next to the library. They’ll go by different names but they are all run by your local “Friends of the Library.” Some have a boutique feel, while others carry the unmistakable sensation of bibliosmia (yes, fellow book sniffers, there is a word for that deliciously musty book smell!), but all will have fabulous finds!
The books are usually in decent condition, and if you’re lucky you’ll find like-new hardcovers. Either way, there is nothing like a well-read book that continues to tell its story to you.
The workers at the store are all volunteers and are often elderly. I enjoy making friends with them and getting the scoop on the newest book haul. They’ll reminisce about the books they read aloud to their now very-adult children, and then lead me to the gems (sometimes even save them for me).
Usually the stores are abundantly filled with the classics. In fact, I’ve purchased most of my classics collections from them (including the entire Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables series, and all the Rold Dahl, Dickens, Austen, Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis collections). Not to mention the dozens of great picture books I’ve found. You’ll occasionally find newly released books but those will disappear pretty fast. I like to make a habit of taking a quick stroll through the store whenever we go to the library, as the inventory is constantly changing as book donations roll in.
As a (self-proclaimed) bibliophile, I love to scour book stores wherever I go, but my favorites still remain the “Friends of the Library”—where you get to find stories within the greater shared story of community.
Download our booklist, get to your local library, and start building your own home library!