Choosebooks is Folding

Re:I use ABE.com

What, and put me out of business? (-:

Few libraries have the staff time to devote to finding the needles in the haystack. They just donate the books en masse to the non-profit Friends group. The Friends might (but more often do not) have the volunteers/time to do that depth of booksale prep. Lots of Friends groups have made initial attempts to work through Amazon and/or eBay to sell items, but most that I’ve know about have given it up after about a year. It is difficult to get and keep the level of volunteer commitment that it takes to manage an online sales system.

Friends’ sales serve an important community outreach function, in addition to their obvious financial ones. Individuals feel great about acquiring good books for their families and friends at a terrific discount. Friends groups (hopefully) use the event as an opportunity to stump for budgetary support for the system as well as to promote upcoming library events. Every bag that books go in should have fliers about the latest bond issue or council vote, in addition to the expected Friends membership form. There are Friends groups that have given up the otherwise ubiquitous sale dates in favor of out-sourcing the sales through private booksellers online. I think they are foolish in giving up that outreach component.

I think perhaps that best answer is somewhere in the middle. Work with a private seller (or several) to pick off some of the very high-value items to sell in a profit-sharing arrangement. That would leave the vast bulk of the items available for the Friends’ sales. The books scouts (myself included) might find fewer gems, but the majority of sale attendees in the local community would be unlikely to feel any offense.