EBooks Aside, Book Sale Draws Hundreds to Branford Green

Despite today’s fixation on Kindles, related devices, and eBooks, print books are alive and well as seen in the success of the Friends of the Blackstone Library’s annual book sale.

The 26th annual sale drew book lovers far and wide. According to event chairperson Mary Hally, John Loeb, a well known Branford historian, newspaperman, and library supporter, started the sale in1990 with few resources and earned just $300.

“He started this sale under one small tent on the lawn of the library. This is a tent that is 80 by 130 – or about 9,500 square feet,” Hally said, pointing to the large tent housing the books on the Branford Green. ​“We have over 200 tables and 70,000 books.“We get people as south as New Jersey and as north as Vermont and upstate New York,” said Hally. ​“This is one of the largest book sales in the state of Connecticut.”

Hally said the books are all donated from private collections and collected from bins in various locations in town; designated crews empty the bins every day. The books are then brought to the library’s sorting center for review by a team of retired teachers.

“Approximately 50 percent of the donations we receive get recycled,” said Hally. ​“That’s because of their condition. We don’t take encyclopedias, book club books, or textbooks.

The sale, which ran from Thursday, Oct. 13, through Sunday Oct. 16, grossed $55,000 last year and earned more this year, officials said on the last day of the sale. Between tent rental, table rental, and equipment, the organization’s expenditures total roughly $15,000. Hally said the event nets roughly $40,000 to $45,000 to the town each year making it the library’s largest fundraiser.

On preview night attendees paid a $15 fee and library members could browse for free. The sale was open to the public on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. until midnight. And on Sunday, book lovers could fill a bag for just $10.

On Her Day Off

Jenna Anthony (pictured), Branford resident and Blackstone Library employee, said although she is surrounded by free books all day, she could not resist the sale.

“I am a huge book addict as you can probably see,” said Anthony, carrying a large box of books from the fiction section. ​“And I just love the library. I actually work at the library and I still cannot keep myself away.”

She found some favorites at the sale, which was divided by genre.

“I always hit Sci-Fi and go through paperback fiction… I see some cool stuff come through the desk all day every day, but I just don’t have time to take it all out. So I come here and do this.”

EBooks? Not a Problem

Hally said eBooks posed a momentary concern for the sale’s future. Turns out they were an unfounded threat in recent years.

“We really didn’t know where the sale was going to go,” said Hally. ​“But we found that there are some books that won’t change. A board book for a child – that will never change. Historical books, sporting books, coffee table books, bird books, nature guides, are all things you can’t get online. Even with the introduction of eBooks, our revenue hasn’t gone down.”

Hally said the change in the sale since eBooks came on the scene lies in selectivity. She said her group is more selective when choosing leisure novels that are seen more online.

Branford resident Brendan Paulson said it was love for books and buying gifts that brought him to the sale.

“I think it’s easier to just read a book. The batteries don’t fail, you can dog-ear the pages… there are a lot of things you can do with a book that you can’t do with an eBook,” Paulson said.

Anthony said she does not believe the hard-copy novel market will slow down as they provide a richer experience.

“From what I know from working at the library, there are still tons and tons of people who much prefer having a physical book,” said Anthony. ​“It’s a different experience when you’re holding a book.”

Behind the Scenes

In terms of getting the books to and from the sale, Hally said an 18-wheeler is packed with skids of books – not once but twice. The library’s logistic team consists of her husband, Matthew Hally, son Mark Hally, and two other volunteers, Harrison Kent and Matthew Baisley. They are pictured here (L‑R).

The team used to sort the adult collection at the Branford Hills School.

“It was unoccupied and the town made a decision to not maintain it,” said Hally. ​“The roof got moldy. The building is now razed, and when the building was taken off the tax rolls, we lost our space. That’s why we rent in Sycamore Way now.”

She said that meant the group went from paying no rent, to paying $800 a month. A parent in Hally’s son’s Boy Scout troop solved the problem with rental fees.

Hally said that during a parent chat, Bill [Smith] said they could share the space where he stores his boats, which is from November to April. That’s the down season for the group so they don’t require storage space for the books.

“So we split the rent,” said Hally. ​“He keeps it six months and we keep it the other six.”

Through the years Hally said she noticed people were trying to take the coffee and donuts provided for volunteers. From this she decided it was time to provide more than just books.

“Well, people were coming in and taking the volunteer’s coffee and donuts. So now we have Hummel hot dogs, great treats, coffee and everything else,” said Hally.
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