Book lovers flock to annual Cedar Rapids library book sale

Thrift is in during these dismal economic times. Apparently, so are books.

Volunteers at the 38th annual Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library book drive saw that first hand as they battled waves and waves of book lovers and bargain hunters looking for a cheap and easy purchase.

“Everyone's looking for a bargain these days,” said Lorraine Blanck, a co-chair for the library's popular fundraiser. “We've got more than what they need.”

Blanck, 52, of Cedar Rapids, has worked year round for the weekend long fundraiser that raised more than $50,000 last year. She expects the new location at the old Econofoods on 51st Street NE, with its wide aisles, friendly lighting and easy parking, will help break last year's fundraising tally.

“So far it's been good, really good,” Blanck said only a few hours into Friday night's opening. Over the past year, she and other friends of the library collected, organized and sorted over 120,000 books as well as other media, whose cheap sales will go on to help the library pay for its literacy programs, as well as their adult and childrens programming.

“It's wonderful to see so many people out for books,” Blanck said.

Greg Talmarge came down from Walker for the affair. By 6 p.m. he had filled multiple boxes that spanned across the fair's many genres, which ranged from mystery and romance paperbacks to 70-year-old hardbound volumes of philosophy and poetry.

“This is the best place to go for older books,” Talmarge said. “You can find what you want… just look.”

Jon Testrake, 35, of Independence, teaches high school social studies and couldn't resist replenishing his coffers from the fiction row of the sale.

“I'm here for the classics, some literature, a little bit of everything,” Testrake said. “It's worth the drive down.”

The book drive will continue through the weekend, from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Saturday, and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. It's located at 1800 51st St. NE.