Library to hold first book sale since loss of director
The Fort Myers Beach Public Library will hold a book sale this weekend, the first since the death of their long-time director last month.
“It’s going to be a tough one, but Dr. Hommerding would want us to carry on,” said Jan Fleming, library board member.
The two-day sale, which is held four times a year during season, involves thousands of books, set up by volunteers on Friday in the library’s garage.
“The books we end up selling, they’re not from the book store, they’re all stored in boxes in the garage storage area, so it is a big job. I have a group of volunteers starting at 9:15, we set up all the books by category,” she said.
Among the volunteers is a group of students from AMI Kids, a non-profit for at-risk youth.
“They bring at least four students over on Friday, and they are a huge help. As a thank you to them, we give them a book, and they have the biggest smiles on their faces, like we gave them a block of gold,” Fleming said.
The books are donated, or have been removed from circulation in the library.
The sale also features CDs, DVDs, puzzles, and a silent auction of collectible treasures.
It will open for business at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, and run until 2 p.m. both days of the weekend.
“As a result of all the money made, this past year we presented Dr. H with a check for $20,000, which went to his wishlist of things he wanted for the library,” she said.
These items, which are currently in use in the library, include a display case on wheels, specialized audio programs, a digital kiosk, and a toddler playscape set.
Maria van Boekel, executive assistant librarian, helped Dr. Hommerding set up the silent auction for the book sales in the past.
“We’ve done it twice so far, and it’s been very successful,” she said.
Among the items up for bid this year are lacquered Chinese plates, collectible dolls, and a large mirror hand-decorated with seashells picked off Fort Myers Beach by K.T. Cantlon.
“She said it took her 54 hours to glue, and that didn’t include retrieving the shells,” said Fleming.
“There’s a bouquet of pink roses made out of local shells, and there’s another bouquet of tulips, all hand-made, seashell creations. There’s going to be about five other things too, we like to have about 10 items available. All the money goes directly back to the library,” said van Boekel.
They plan to post each item on Facebook so people can phone in their bids remotely.
Volunteers for the book sale are welcome, and can call the library if interested.
“My hope is that this book sale is the biggest and best we have ever had. I hope that we break all previous records of donations, silent auction bidding, and sales. What a tribute that would be to our dear Dr. Hommerding!” Fleming said.