Encino: Gather Your Used Books

With the rising popularity of e-books, Kindles, and Nooks, a good old fashioned hardcover book may soon be hard to find. The Friends of the Encino-Tarzana Branch Library, however, are keeping books alive by hosting used book sales. They are holding a two-day sale Friday and Saturday (today) at the Encino-Tarzana Branch Library.

“If [people] want books, between there not being a lot of retail outlets and from a price point-of-view, this is the best deal in town,” said Mark Lamken, second vice president of the Friends of the Library.

Although the sale began at 10 a.m. Friday morning, eager customers lined up outside of the library as early as 9:30 a.m., ready to sort through the treasure trove of books. The sale offered a wide variety of books including paperbacks, art books, and children’s books. The prices range from 75 cents for a paperback to $1 for a hardcover. The sale also featured used DVDs and audio books.

“Probably the most exciting part is on the morning that they open at 10 a.m. on a Friday and all those people come in…it's like wow!” said book sale committee member Margaret Talvin.

For more 30 years, FOL has been holding four book sales a year, which are two full days, in addition to the used bookstore they keep inside the library. They receive books through donations, gifts, and withdrawals from the library. For those interested in donating books to the sale, you can drop them off at the Reference Desk at the Encino-Tarzana Branch Library.

“The librarians go through them first and if they find something they want for their collection, they take them," said Lamken. "[It's] is wonderful because if they take a book for the collection, it probably saves the library $25.” 

Four Friends of the Library Book Sale Committee members work every Tuesday and Thursday to sort books for their quarterly used book sales. On occasion, the Friends of the Library does receive collector’s items, but those are sold online. They also have some book dealers who will purchase a large number of the used books for resale. On average, however, a couple hundred customers attend each sale and all of the proceeds go back to the library.

“We think we’ve had a bad sale if we make less than $3,000. We actually donate about $20,000 a year to the library,” said Lamken.

The Friends of the Library held their first meeting in 1971 and their mission includes fundraising for the Encino-Tarzana Branch Library's needs, promoting reading, and helping community members build personal libraries. They also strive “to re-circulate, recycle, and preserve books” as noted by Barbara Y. Leff, M.L.S., president of Friends of the Library.

“We're proud to report that our Encino-Tarzana Branch has the third highest circulation currently among all 72 branches of the Los Angeles Public Library so we will want to provide extra books and media for our branch's collection to keep the momentum going,” said Leff.

In fact, Lamken said that both the library and used book sales have maintained a steady number of visitors due to the opposing effects of the Encino Barnes and Nobles closure and the proliferation of digital books. Community members are looking for a place to purchase books because some digital books can be expensive.

“We haven’t seen an effect yet because we have the price differential going. You don’t have to invest in anything but your own bare hands to hold it with,” said Lamken.

As for customers, many are long-time community members or simply love books.

“I come here every three months. I usually pick up cookbooks or buy books for friends. This sale is better organized than other ones,” commented said one community member who wished to remain anonymous.

Ultimately, the Friends of the Library sale benefits the library and helps keep the culture of traditional books alive.

“Books and media are very important to us -- not only to preserve our culture and give us pleasure, but also to provide education and learning beyond the classroom,” said Leff.

The sale runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 20th. For more information, visit the Friends of the Encino-Tarzana Branch Library website here: etlibraryfriends.org/