October 18–24 is National Friends of the Library Week, and here in Napa County we’re fortunate to have several dedicated Friends’ groups supporting our libraries. Each of our four libraries has its own Friends of the Library organization—nonprofit volunteer groups with boards that meet regularly to plan activities, organize volunteers, and find new ways to support library services.
Book Sales and More
Many people know the Friends for their book sales, from small lobby displays to large community events in American Canyon and Napa. These sales rely on donated books, and the proceeds help fund programs that promote children’s literacy, learning, and community outreach.
But book sales are just one part of the impact they make. If you’ve seen children’s books in barber shops, laundromats, or a pediatrician’s office or the WIC office, chances are they were provided through donations and support from the Friends. They also offer free children’s books at Napa sales, and host additional giveaway events throughout the county.
These generous efforts are made possible by more than 100 volunteers who believe in the mission of our libraries. Their commitment speaks volumes about the value the Friends bring to our community.
Bruce Taylor, Longtime Book Sale Manager at the Friends of the Napa Library
A key part of that success—especially in Napa—is the longtime leadership of book sale manager Bruce Taylor.
After two decades as the Friends of the Napa Library’s only paid employee, book sale manager Bruce Taylor still shows up six days a week to keep the organization’s major sales operation running.
Bruce came to the Friends after 25 years of owning a bookstore in San Francisco. “When that closed, I moved to Tuscany for a year. After that, I moved to Napa and became a volunteer with the Friends because I needed something to do, and then after a few months I was asked if I wanted to be the book sale manager.”
Two decades later, the biggest change has been volume. “It’s twice the volume it was,” he said, noting donations come from people downsizing, families whose children have outgrown their books, and the county’s strong community of readers. “We currently get between 300 and 400 books per day.”
Still, only about 40% of those books end up being sold. “The rest are recycled or sold to a bulk purchaser.” Of the books that do sell, the breakdown is remarkably even: “Thirty percent lobby sales, 30 percent book sale, and 30 percent online sales. The last book sale was the first to break $20,000 over the 10-day period.”
Sorting requires skill and judgment. “Condition, edition, and desirability,” Bruce explained. Most donations—and most sales—are nonfiction. “There are only so many copies of The Da Vinci Code that we can sell.”
Sometimes he and volunteers set aside titles for specific library needs or for staff with particular interests. Bruce credits his ability to navigate donations and multiple sales channels to experience: “A keen eye and being organized. It’s a skill you develop.” He traces that skill back to the Coast Guard and later to running a bookstore focused on crime and detective fiction. “James Lee Burke is the only current fiction writer I’m reading. All the rest is nonfiction. I’m currently reading three different books about the Supreme Court.”
Books aren’t the only items donated. “If it’s been published, we see it here at the Friends.” Donations include fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, children’s books, a few hundred LPs per year, DVDs (which sell well), and CDs (which are starting to pick up). Cookbooks arrive in especially large numbers. “All kinds, but a lot of cookbooks.” Most aren’t valuable, he notes, “but they do sell.” The exception: signed editions. “We get a lot of cookbooks signed by Julia Child.”
More valuable items get pulled for online sales. “We look at the book when it comes in, and if it’s something rare or valuable, we print off the online price, place it inside the book and then have someone come collect those and they sell them online for us.”
Bruce has spent “six days per week for the last twenty years” in the sorting room. Along the way, he’s had memorable finds, including one that didn’t live up to expectations: “A signed copy of a Judy Garland book. I was excited when it first came in but then saw that it had been signed five years after she’d died.”
Music often fills the sorting room. Bruce, a longtime fan of Broadway, recalled, “When I lived in New York, I had a friend who liked musicals. We went three or four times a month and saw virtually everything for between 10 and 15 years,” including Ethel Merman at Carnegie Hall and Yul Brynner as ‘The King.’”
For all the stories, rare finds, and long hours, Bruce’s motivation remains simple. “The books. I love the books.” And, of course, the people. “There are more than 40 volunteers, so at least that many personalities. We work together well because we have a goal: Collect the books, clean them, price them, and sell them. And that’s what we do.”
We thank the Friends of the Library groups throughout Napa County for their dedication and support. Their efforts help make our year-round programs possible and ensure families can discover books throughout the community. Happy Friends of the Library Week.
A version of this blog first appeared in The Yountville Sun under the title, “The keeper of books, the library’s best friend.”
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