Colorado Springs book lovers turned out this weekend for a fundraising sale that pairs affordable reading material with direct support for local library programming. Every dollar spent at the event goes toward funding library programs and initiatives designed to make reading accessible to area residents.
Shoppers browsed a wide selection that included children's books, mystery novels, and cookbooks, among other genres. Keeping prices low is central to the event's mission. Rita Jordan, who leads the Friends organization as its president, said the affordability is deliberate — the aim is for shoppers to walk away with books they can keep permanently on their own shelves, which she called especially important for children's literacy.
In the previous year, the Friends group returned more than $160,000 to the library district, drawing on revenue from regional library bookstores, an online sales channel, branch-level bookstores, donations, membership fees, and the spring book sale, alongside the fall event. Purchases made at the sale and at other library book sales across the district are all directed back to the Pikes Peak Library District.
Jordan pointed to the challenge of sustaining programming year over year, raising the question of whether funding will be available to keep established programs running into the future. Among the initiatives the Friends group currently supports are Summer Adventure, All Pikes Peak Reads, Mountain of Authors, a Regional History Symposium, an Adult Winter Reading Program, and BookBrowse, which serves readers and book clubs as a digital resource.
The sale drew at least one family that had been looking forward to the event for months, arriving with three children in tow. One parent said she had placed the date prominently at home as a reminder, determined not to miss it. Her spouse confirmed the anticipation had been building for quite some time. The family described the library as an early introduction for their children, noting that bookshelves fill their home and that they favor reading over television, spanning a broad range of genres.
Residents who did not attend Saturday's sale had another option on Sunday, when a bargain bag sale was set to open at 11:00 a.m., with bags priced at six dollars for members of the Friends organization and seven dollars for non-members.
The total amount raised from this year's fall sale, and whether it will surpass last year's contribution to the library district, has not yet been reported by the Friends of PPLD.