“Without the Westport Public Library, our community would not be the same. It connects us to our neighbors and to the larger world. We listen. We talk. We share. Together, at the library.”
Book Sales
BETTER-THAN-EVER ANNUAL BOOK SALE
This year featuring CHANGES to provide an optimum shopping experience for all (see below).
Under tents on Jesup Green and inside the Library
July 20-23
Saturday, Sunday & Monday: 9 am-6 pm
(Monday—Everything half-price)
Tuesday: 9 am-1 pm (Free day, donations appreciated)
This year the Library will be sharing Jesup Green during the sale with the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts while its site is under construction. The following changes will be in effect on opening day:
Space restrictions prohibit the use of boxes or other objects used as place holders for a spot in line before opening. Any boxes placed at entrances will be removed.
A new online registration will be in place for those who would like to secure a place in line on opening day, for the sale under the tents as well as inside the Library. Numbers for a place in line will be available through a link provided on this page from noon Friday, July 12, until noon Saturday, July 13. After 200 tickets have been assigned for each venue, entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participants who have registered online must be in line by 8:30 am Saturday, July 20, with their ticket numbers either printed out (preferably) or displayed on a phone or tablet.
New entrances and exits will be clearly marked. Site maps of the sale will be on this page and also handed out on the first day of the sale.
Over 80,000 items in more than 50 categories from Art to Zoology will be available this year, including:
- Literature and art books
- Hardcover & paperback fiction & non-fiction
- Vinyl records, DVDs, audiobooks & more
- Children’s books
Specials (with more to come as the sale approaches):
- A rare Catholic German bible, in its original pigskin binding, published in 1610
- Outstanding collections of Theatre Arts books
- Extensive Civil War book collection
Check westportlibrary.org for more to come. Bring donations to the circulation desk at the Library or call 203.291.4840 for pickup.
Volunteers needed from July 15-23 for set-up and sale. Contact Suzy Hooper at 203.434.7344, geosoo143 [at] yahoo [dot] com, download/pick up a volunteer form or fill out an online form.
To stay up-to-date about book sale news, sign up for e-news here..
Click on the arrow to see a video of the big summer sale 2011.
An Argument for Home Libraries in the Age of E-books, a video from The Wall Street Journal
VOLUNTEER AT THE BOOK SALES:
Before: Learn how to sort, research and price donated materials. Call 203.291.4840 or email booksales [at] westportlibrary [dot] org
- During: Three sales per year with many volunteer positions. Email Suzy Hooper at geosoo143 [at] yahoo [dot] com, call 203.434.7344 or click here to print a form to drop off or mail.
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Signs: Prior to each Book Sale, we place signs at specific locations around town to advertise the book sales. Interested in helping?
Contact Lucy Ambrosino at lambro2 [at] yahoo [dot] com - Book Kiosks: The Friends provide book kiosks with free books at the Westport Train Station and during the summer at Joey's at Compo Beach. If interested in helping restock the kiosks, contact Lucy Ambrosino at lambro2 [at] yahoo [dot] com
DONATE ITEMS FOR THE SALE
The friends of the Westport Library, a volunteer organization, receive and process about 100,000 items each year, which include books, DVDs, CDs, videos and LP records. Book sale income helps support the Westport Library's programs, projects, and collection.
When and where? The Library accepts items at the circulation desk any time the Library is open. If you have a large donation and need help, a volunteer can pick up your donation. Call 203.291.4840 to make arrangements.
What? Here are some suggestions. If you are not sure what to donate or have questions, call 203.291.4840.
- Books - all kinds, any subject, in good condition: fiction and non-fiction, hardcover and paperback, and especially recent books, teen and children's books
- Audiobooks on cassette and CD
- Music scores, CDs, DVDs, vinyl LPs and commercial videotapes
- Current software - less than three years old
- Very new or very old encyclopedia sets
- Collectible vintage magazines and paperbacks
- All vintage printed materials that may have collectible appeal
Can I get a letter for tax purposes? Yes. The Westport Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. If you would like a donation receipt, ask the person who accepts your donation. The Library cannot place a value on your donation, but can indicate what you donated.
WHERE DO UNSOLD BOOKS GO?
Examples of organizations who have benefited from free books include prisons, women's domestic violence centers, women's shelters, inner city juvenile detention centers, pre-schools, special care homes for children, and inner city schools and libraries. People have gathered books to send off to Africa, India, Russia and the Philippines. One person carefully boxed up 18 cartons of books to send to each prison in Connecticut. Another person, who teaches in a community college in New Haven, collected books to give as rewards to her students.
At the end of the sale, if there are still any books remaining, they are collected by a recycling company that reviews the books to be placed in other needy areas before recycling them for paper.
ONGOING BOOK SALES
Gently used books that are recent or of current interest are sold year-round on book sale shelves located on the main level across from the Circulation Desk, and in the lobby outside of the Audio-Visual Department on the Riverwalk Level. There is also a carousel of paperbacks across from the Cafe. Prices are written inside the front cover. Please pay for the books at either the Circulation Desk or the Audio-Visual Desk.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO VOLUNTEER
Besides donating books and time...you can also help support the Library with a gift via check, credit card or online payment. Your contribution supports over 1100 programs per year, the Library Store, the children's summer reading program, book club purchases, special events, technology and the Library's collection.