Coatesville Area Public Library will host a "TOTE-ally Awesome" grab-and-go outdoor book sale that will be set up in the library's courtyard. The three-day event will take place from Friday, April 23, through Sunday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The event will be held rain or shine.

Volunteers have been working hard to prepackage books into sturdy red tote bags that feature the library's insignia. A fee will be charged for each bag, which will be filled with books.

"The books were donated or pulled from the collection," explained library treasurer Pat Bush, who noted that no handling of individual books will be necessary. "The books in the bags are preselected (and tied) with string."

Books have been sorted by genre so shoppers attending the event can pick up a bag in a category that interests them. There will be 10 categories of books available such as mystery and romance, as well as bags for young adults, adults, tweens and children.

"Librarians chose the selections. It's not just fiction; it's way more specific," said Bush. For example, there will be bags of all James Patterson and David Baldacci books. "Children's books are specific - easy reader for kindergarten through second grade or board books for very young children," Bush noted.

Those who attend the book sale must wear a mask and practice social distancing. There will be a limited number of people permitted in the gated courtyard at a time.

Additionally, tickets will be on sale for a random drawing to win a signed copy of Barack Obama's latest book, "A Promised Land." The winner will be drawn on Monday, June 7. Tickets will also be sold in the library up until the drawing date.

Bush said that the sale is a very important event for the library, which was unable to collect fines or fees or hold its regular fundraisers in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The library is located at 501 E. Lincoln Highway, Coatesville. Current hours of operation are Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Only a limited number of patrons are allowed in the building during hours of operation.

For more information, call 610-384-4115 or visit http://www.facebook.com/CoatesvilleLibrary or http://www.coatesvilleareapubliclibrary.org.