Over 7,”000 books will be available for purchase at the West Windsor Library Annual Book Sale beginning on Tuesday, March 23, 6 to 9 p.m. The Friends of the West Windsor Library have been collecting paperbacks, cookbooks, children’s books, fiction, non-fiction, CDs, videos, and objets d’art for months. Benefit to supplement the library’s collections of print and non-print materials and to sponsor the ever-popular children’s programs. The sale continues through Sunday, March 28.
On Saturday, March 27, there will be entertainment and face painting by Minikin the Clown from 10:30 a.m. to Noon. The bag and box sale is on Sunday, March 28 — $1 per bag of books or $3 per box of books. Note: each bag and/or box must be manageable by one person.
“This is a community sale, and we offer quality books at a reasonable price,” says event co-chair Sylvia Russo. “We charge only one dollar for most hardback books and 50 cents for paperbacks.”
“We make money but we pump it right back into the library,” she says. “Every month we have a board meeting and vote on how to spend the money we raise.”
Last November, the group ran out of storage space and held a very profitable mini book sale, which may also become an annual sale.
“The librarians have a limited budget, but the Friends donate money for programs and restocking,” says Russo. “We recently gave money to replenish CDs, videos, DVDs, and books. We also made a donation to the children’s librarian to replace puppets and games. The storytellers and performers are paid for with funds that we raise, as are the Sunday family-oriented cultural programs.”
The gallery in the library lobby is being revamped to create a better system for artists to hang their exhibits. Another teak bench will be added in the spring. Russo has been instrumental in convincing the board to buy plastic “rainy day bags,” to be distributed free to library visitors to help them carry books and keep them dry in inclement weather.
Russo is co-chairing the event with Pat Huie, another board member. Born in Pittsburgh, Russo graduated from Edinboro University. Working as an elementary school teacher, she was assigned to work in the library.
“Books are my passion,” she says. “I would have loved to be a librarian but I didn’t have the education requirements at the time.”
After teaching for a few years, she become an airline hostess with TWA Airlines. While living in New York, she met her husband, Thomas, a banker in New York City. In 1969, they wanted to buy a house and after discovering West Windsor, bought a new house on Monterey Drive. She continued to fly until she became pregnant — with twins. After Thomas and Zachary were born, it was difficult to return to flying with two babies at home, and she became a stay-at-home mom.
The twins graduated from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, Class of 1993. They were both on the hockey team in 1993 when they won the CVC title.
Her next career was in real estate, working with Dixon Development. As for her library volunteer work, she says, “It never stops. It’s like a part-time job.”
Russo is chairman of the board. Other board of directors include Lorraine Fisch, treasurer; Jean Gunkel, recording secretary; Sharon Hermone, publicity; Margaret Pei, president; and Irene Hoyt, past president. Also Bonnie Eskra, Kaija Greenberg, Patricia Huie, and Hema Ramamurthy. There are close to 80 members of the Friends of the West Windsor Library.
“The sale would not be possible without the community volunteers,” says Russo. “Each year more than 75 book lovers join us to sort books and categorize them.” Book sorting begins on Friday, March 12. There are volunteer sign-up sheets in the library.
West Windsor Library Annual Book Sale, West Windsor Library, 333 North Post Road, 609-987-9644. Tuesday to Sunday, March 23 to 28.
