Book Lovers Trek to Woodbridge Library Book Sale

From the classics to romance novels to science fiction, the Woodbridge Public Library was cleaning house last weekend, to the delight of book lovers looking for bargains. The library had a huge sale of old books and dvds, as means of making room for new materials and as a fundraiser.

“We are able to help the library system with programming for the summer, for the children’s room,” said Donna Barcellona of the Friends of the Libraries of Woodbridge Township, which was running the sale.  “This is our annual book sale, which we use to clean out and start again.  It’s our way of helping the library.”

The sale, which is typically the last full weekend of April but was pushed back a week due to the late Easter holiday this year, is run by volunteers who took two days to set up the event.  “Once we’re set up, our volunteers know where every book is,” joked Barcellona.

The books were priced to sell, with paperbacks selling for $0.50 and hardcover and audiobooks selling for $1 each.  Sunday was the final day of the event and features a bag sale – purchase a shopping bag for $5 and you can fill the bag with as many books as the bag can hold.

Those with a specific title in mind had to hurry down sooner rather than later.  “When we started on Thursday [an exclusive evening for members of the Friends of the Libraries of Woodbridge Township], we had stacks of books under every table,” noted Barcellona, pointing to areas where no books remained by Saturday morning.  “Our sales have been up this year.”

If you didn't have time to make it to the library last weekend, you’re not completely out of luck.  Following the sale, the Friends of the Libraries will donate all unsold books to the Woodbridge Developmental Center in Avenel.  The Developmental Center will in turn host its own book sale the weekend following Mother’s Day.