The Friends of the Sheppard Memorial Library (SML) hosted its 31st Annual Used Book Sale from March 3 to March 6 in the Greenville Convention Center, located at 303 SW Greenville Blvd.
The book sale allows community members to sell and buy used books at a discounted price. The book sale began on March 3 and was limited to members of Friends of SML.
The general public could attend from March 4 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., March 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and March 6 from noon to 3:30 p.m. On March 6, attendees could participate in “$5 bag day,” where they can bring their own reusable bag and fill it with books.
Director of the Sheppard Memorial Library Greg Needham said this is a great opportunity for Greenville community members to explore their love for books. Needham said he has been the library director for 25 years.
“Our Friends volunteers put untold hours of selfless time and work into sorting books and planning, preparing for and putting on their sales every year,” Needham said. “The results benefit the whole community by providing excellent presorted books at the best ever prices to get more books to people.”
Friends of the SML is a membership group open to the public. Members participate in library events and fundraisers that ultimately support the public library. In the past, the Friends have held book sales, programs and discussion series, according to the Sheppard Memorial Library website.
Friends of the SML member and avid reader Erin Tyburski said this was her first time at the book sale. She said she is a kindergarten through fifth grade teacher at Lake Forest Elementary School.
Tyburski said she enjoys reading non-fiction books and books about social issues. At the book sale, she was on the search for books for her personal enjoyment but also to fill her classroom.
“I first started using the library (Sheppard Memorial Public Library) right before COVID because I had so many books in the house,” Tyburski said. “I saw online that they had awesome books so I started going there regularly and found out about this (the book sale) and here I am, at my first book sale.”
Tyburski said she thinks the book sale is beneficial because it allows her to fill her classroom up with books. She said it also brings people in the community together.
Greenville resident Leigh Martin said she has a passion for books, writing and all things related to language. She said she is a published author, an English tutor and an employee at Sheppard Memorial Public Library.
Martin said she is partially deaf and has struggled with phonetics her whole life. She knows sign language and English. She said she has not lived in Greenville for long, but she attended the book sale to show support for the Greenville community and Sheppard Memorial Public Library.
“I walked in and got the biggest smile on my face to see all the support for the library and the community,” Martin said. “So many people are interested in literature and want to read.”
Martin said she is from a small town in western North Carolina. She said today was her first time at the Greenville Convention Center book sale and was happy with the selection of books.
Martin said she likes many different genres of literature, but she tends to enjoy books with serious and dark themes. Her favorite book is tied between “The Hunger Games” written by Suzanne Collins and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” written by J.K. Rowling.
“There is something for everyone here,” Martin said. “I am a very bubbly person, but I tell people I love the depressing stuff.”
Greenville resident Lucy Schmidt was also in attendance. Schmidt is a 14-year-old high school student at a private school in the Greenville area. She said she found out about the book sale because her mom is a member of the Friends of The Sheppard Memorial Library committee.
Schmidt said her favorite genre of literature is mystery and she enjoys anything that is fiction. She read a lot when she was little because she felt lonely as a kid and continues to read now. She chose books that were discounted at 50 cents each.
“An event like this brings the community together,” Schmidt said. “It is nice to read because you get a sense of other worlds.”
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