The Friends of the Manheim Community Library will hold their annual spring book sale at the Manheim Farm Show Exhibition Hall, 502 Adele Ave. The sale will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 6 and 7, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to noon. Saturday's sale will be a bag sale, with special prices for filling one or two bags with books. Members of the Friends are invited to a preview night on Wednesday, May 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. Visitors may join the Friends of the Library at the door.

"There is always a huge selection of high-quality hardcovers," said Stacey Gibble Barrick, president of the Friends. "We get a lot of one-time-read books and a lot of current books. We get a lot of donations because we have voracious readers in Manheim, and we're grateful for that."

The sale will also include paperbacks, cookbooks, travel and history books, as well as a children's area. "We usually end up setting up chairs with boxes of books on them in the children's section, because we run out of table room," Barrick stated.

The Friends of the Manheim Community Library hold two book sales a year, and the money raised helps fund the library's children's Summer Reading Program, among other projects. "We usually pay for speakers or special summer programs," Barrick explained, noting that the library has recently expanded programming for middle school-age students as well as more adult programming. "They've been having some really neat programs at the library, and we help provide funding for that."

Proceeds also help the Friends purchase additional books for the library and have even funded hiring extra staff members for the library.

Barrick, who founded the Manheim Friends group in 2013, said memberships bring in up to $30,000 a year for the library, providing nearly 20% of the library's annual budget. "Friends memberships are literally our lifeblood," she noted. "I can't tell you how many older people in our community, who haven't been to the library for decades, will support us with a membership. They want to support a local, community library."

The Friends group also works to raise awareness and appreciation for the library's resources and services as well as advocate for library services and amenities, Barrick said. "It's imperative that we make sure the library offers a full range of educational opportunities within the walls of the building," she said. "We are about so much more than just books. We offer computer access, Wi-Fi access, special programming and much more."

Barrick added that the book sale offers not only a way to support the library, but also an opportunity to pick up a good read. "We always have more books than buyers, so I encourage anyone to come out and see what we have," she remarked. "Expand your mind and your imagination with a good book."

For more information on the book sale, visit https://manheimlibrary.org/book-sale.