Friends of the Morse Institute Library sale shares books and community

This past weekend, books sprawled out over even more of the Morse Institute Library than usual as the Friends of the Morse Institute Library held their annual spring book sale. 

The sale featured a plethora of genres—from the basics such as fiction, classics, and mystery; to the specific, including history, sports, family, and art. In addition to print books for all ages, attendees could purchase audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, vinyl, puzzles, games, and baked goods. 

The sale, which is held three times a year for two days each time, raises money for the Morse Institute Library, which, as a public entity, legally cannot fundraise for itself. 

The Friends of the Morse Institute Library formed in 1990 and has been holding book sales since the early 90s. The sales have grown exponentially since. 

“Everybody can remember the first year that we had a book sale that broke a thousand dollars,” Terri Evans, president of the Friends, said. “Today we can make between eight and ten thousand.” 

Through book sales and other fundraisers, the Friends give the library about $55,000 a year. They also donate books to the Housing Authority library, the senior center, and to children’s libraries in the Philippines.  

These donations, and the cycle of people donating old books and buying new ones, “feels like the epitome of sharing,” Evans said.

The book sales benefit individuals as well as libraries by offering low prices, such as $1 per adult book and $0.50 per children’s book. 

 “What we’re doing is making book [ownership] affordable,” Evans said. “[This is] especially good for young families. We see a lot of young families here. We get to help with raising their kids and creating a community of curiosity.”

That sense of community is really important to Evans. 

“I find this [book sale to be] a place that’s at a crossroads,” she said. “People see friends here, families see neighbors here. It’s something that’s not just ‘I’m gonna go in and buy books’—it’s a community center. 

“It’s how I think of the library [as a whole],” Evans continued. “It is a crossroads for the community.” 

Most importantly for Evans, book sales pass the joy of reading to the next generation. 

“Every book sale, there’s some point at which there’s chaos around, people are buying books and it feels like a madhouse—and then the crowd clears and you see a small child, on the floor, with a book, oblivious to everything going on around them because they found something that has just sucked them right in,” Evans described. “And it is worth it. I’ve seen it time and again. If there’s something that’s a signature of the sale, it’s that.”

The Friends’ next book sale will be held from Sept. 28–29. 

Learn about becoming a Natick Report advertising partner