ARLINGTON — The Friends of the Arlington Library’s monthly book sale generated more than $100 on Feb. 6, and while the volunteers staffing the tables and shelves of books for the sale deemed that an average amount, this month marked the first such book sale to include nonfiction titles.
“Nonfiction has been asked for a lot in the past few months,” said volunteer Michele Heiderer, who staffed the sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Eileen Ray, vice president of the Friends of the Arlington Library. “Our prices run about three or four books for a dollar, so that shows you how many books we’re moving on a given day.”
“We’ve got the best prices in town,” said Ray, who noted that the book sales take place in the front lobby of the Arlington Library within the first two weeks of each month. “We carry a variety of things, even including VCR tapes and CDs, and all of it is donated.”
Ray and Heiderer explained that the funds raised by the monthly book sales go toward an assortment of programs supported by the Friends of the Arlington Library, targeting age groups ranging from toddlers and teens on up to adults.
“With younger children, those programs get them used to hearing voices read to them,” Heiderer said. “We’re trying to expand our teen programs, ideally scheduling them on Fridays or Saturdays after the library has closed. I even take ‘Book Store Babies’ bags up to the hospital once a month, with tips for parents on how and why they should read to their infants.”
The Friends of the Arlington Library have even furnished the library with a copy machine, a PC with a flash drive, and a number of recovered furniture items. Ray encouraged those who might be interested in joining the group to attend one of its meetings, on the second Wednesday of every month at 3:30 p.m. in the library.
In the meantime, the month of February boasts a busy schedule of reading programs and other activities at the Arlington Library, starting with the Preschool Storytime for children aged 3-5 years on Feb. 13 at 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., as well as the Pajama Family Storytime for children aged 2-5 years on Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Both programs require caregivers to be present for the children and are supported by the Friends of the Arlington Library.
Surrealistic art will be taught to children and teens during Homeschool Thursdays on Feb. 14 at 9:30 a.m. and Afterschool Fridays on Feb. 15 at 3:30 p.m., while “The Cutting Edge” is slated to be the Friday Teen Movie on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. All of these programs are likewise supported by the Friends of the Arlington Library.
