March 05, 2009
Friends of Morris Library seek book donations
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Friends of Morris Library at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are seeking book donations to supplement the selection for their April 24-25 benefit book sale.You can bring all sorts of books, in good condition, to one of three Carbondale locations. Donations spots are: Murdale True Value at 1915 W. Main St. in the Murdale Shopping Center, Vogler Ford at 1170 E. Main, and Morris Library on the SIUC campus. If you plan to bring your donation to Morris Library, call 618/453-4305 or 618/453-1608 before you bring books in.
Sale organizers welcome donations of paperbacks and hardbound books of all types -- history, mystery, biography and various genres. They discourage the donation of textbooks, however.
They’ll assemble the newly donated books with books already on hand for the sale. There will be a considerable assortment, because the extensive renovation and expansion project now wrapping up at Morris Library resulted in the temporary suspension of the longtime Honest Abe Book Sale. This ongoing sale allowed people to purchase surplus books for a nominal specified price. Organizers say the Honest Abe Book Sale will resume in the future but in the meantime, the upcoming sale will offer a wide assortment of books to choose from.
Book sales such as this are very labor-intensive, requiring plenty of volunteer effort, according to Carolyn Donow, book sale coordinator, Friends of Morris Library board member and former board president. She said the Friends of Morris Library “hope to offer a large and diverse stock of books in what may be our last traditional book sale.”
The Friends of Morris Library have given their support to the library in a number of ways for nearly half a century, including funding programs, exhibits and material purchases, hosting receptions, giving to endowments, sponsoring activities and more. They recently donated $8,000 to kick off the effort to raise funds for a new patio on the east side of Morris Library. The patio will feature stone elements salvaged from the historic Old Main building destroyed by a 1969 fire.