Friends of the Library Old Book Sale Opens Doors at Centreplex

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — It’s supposedly the second biggest book sale east of the Mississippi.

Friends of the Library President Andy Newton said, “We’ve checked in the past and we’ve found people come from 10 different states to our book sale.”

The 2013 Old Book Sale opened it’s doors to the public Thursday morning at the Macon Centreplex and bookworms from all over wasted no time picking up a few gently used, yet new, reads.

Darlene Avery has been picking up deals at the Old Book Sale for 15 years. She said, “We like history, we like romance, we like mystery….we like biographies.”

With more than a 100,000 books and 75 categories to choose from, it’s no surprise book lovers like Jean Moore traveled all the way to Macon from Utah.

“My family is from Jones County and so this is a treasure trove, The History of Jones County, Georgia,” said Moore.

Moore has been researching her family history since the 1990’s and said it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of local libraries.

“I’ve been to the Washington Memorial Library to do a lot of family history research there, looking at the old newspapers and obituaries so I think it’s a great cause to help them so they keep their genealogy section there in tact because I’ll be coming back many more years, I’m sure,” Moore said.

The Friends of the Library mission is simple: support public libraries and literacy efforts in the community.

Newton added, “We believe that a strong public library system is a cornerstone of a strong community.”

Almost all the books are donated by individuals, they’re priced as low as possible, and you’re bound to find a great read to add to your collection.

“I even brought an extra suitcase because I knew I was coming to the sale and I wanted to bring home some books,” said Moore.

The Old Book Sale will be going on at the Macon Centreplex 10 to 7P.M. Thursday. The doors will open back up Friday from 10 to 7P.M. Saturday hours are 10 to 5P.M. and 12 to 5P.M. on Sunday. Books will be half priced starting Sunday. All non-sold books will be donated to Goodwill.

This is the first year the Old Book Sale is accepting credit card payments, in addition to cash and checks.