Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library (JMRL) is preparing for its highly anticipated Spring Book Sale, set to take place from April 5 to April 13 at 300 Albemarle Square. The sale, which features tens of thousands of donated books, records, CDs, and other media, is a major fundraiser for the library’s programming. “The community donates thousands and thousands of books to us,” said Peter Manno, book sale manager. “We work all year round to categorize them, select them, price them and then for two 10-day periods, our next one’s coming up April 5th, we open our doors, and we have a great sale.”  

The Fall 2024 book sale raised an impressive $166,000, with nearly all proceeds coming from donated items. Funds from these sales go toward library programming rather than operational costs. “We turned over, over $150,000 each of the last three years I believe to the system” Manno explained. “That’s not paying for salaries, that’s not paying for the basic operating costs, we’re paying for the programming.” This includes movie nights, guest speakers, and children’s activities that enrich the community. 

Accepted items and additional details can be found on their website. Manno emphasized that inventory is continuously restocked throughout the sale, so attendees don’t need to rush in on opening day. “We have so much inventory, 60 to 75,000 books will be out in the space, and we’re going to have tens of thousands more to put out.”

In addition to the book sale, Charlottesville Media Group is hosting a book drive to collect donations ahead of the event, running now through March 21.  More information about the event can also be found here.