Friends of the Palo Alto Library Visit our web site 
 
CUBBERLEY
USED BOOK SALES

Saturday August 11
Ephemera 8am - 4pm
Bargain and Children's Rooms 10am - 4pm
Main Room Sale 11am - 4pm
Tent Sale 9am - 4pm
*WEATHER PERMITTING*

Sunday August 12
All Rooms 11am - 4pm


FEATURED IN AUGUST 

Stamp Collections
Cookbooks Children & Adult
Home & Crafts
Transportation
Sections on the Move


 

4000 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto
NE corner of the Cubberley Community Center
(650) 213-8755

www.friendspaloaltolib.org

Map
More information on the sales
Donate your old books
 
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO HELP PALO ALTO LIBRARIES

Marty's (Main) Room
In our Main Room, prices are way below what used book stores charge. Hardcover books start at $1.00 and softcover books start at only 50 cents.

Due to the popularity of our sale and the fact that we can only have 160 customers in the room at any time a numbered ticket system (Main Room only) is in place and numbers are given out beginning at 8am on Saturday. Be sure to be in line in order of your number before the 11am opening. If you miss the time when your number is allowed to enter the Main Room you will forfeit your place in line. NOTE: If you plan on arriving to the sale after 11am you do NOT need to get a number.

Please note that due to crowding during the first two hours of the Book Sale, no strollers, rolling carts, etc. can be brought into the Main Room. This is for the safety of shoppers and volunteers alike. By 12:30 or so, the crowd thins out and shoppers are welcome to bring these items into the sale.

Children's Book Sale
The Children's Room has moved to the portable formerly occupied by the Jewish Community Center next to the soccer field. It is entirely filled with children's books and toys. You'll find picture books, school age fiction and non-fiction, award winners, non-English titles, CDs and DVDs, and books for parents and teachers, most for 50 cents or $1. Strollers are welcome in the Children's Room at any time.

Bargain Books in K-7
The Bargain Room is located in Rooms K-7 and K-6 of the Cubberley main campus, right next to the tennis courts. On Saturday, Paperbacks are 50 cents, hardcovers are $1, and children's books are just 25 cents each. The room also contains many LP records and 78s at $1 each. On Sunday, the room opens at 11 am and all prices are half off. Or, save even more on Sunday by buying grocery bags from us for $5 each and stuffing them with any items in the room. Buy 4 bags and get the 5th one FREE!

 
Library Closings for Labor Day
All libraries will be closed Sunday and Monday, September 2 and 3, for the Labor Day holiday. Normal hours will resume on Tuesday September 4.
 
Non-Profit Book Giveaway
Non-profit organizations and schools are able to select books from among the thousands of books available in the Bargain Room on the Sunday evening following the sale from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. If you are associated with a non-profit organization or school that would like to receive books from us for free or for information on eligibility, hours, and the types of materials available, please contact Norma Burchard in advance by e-mail at normalcy@earthlink.net or at (650) 494-1082. Several dozen organizations benefit from the monthly giveaways, including local hospitals, homeless programs, senior centers, schools, and jails, as well as libraries in rural areas and on reservations, and literacy projects in many other countries.

Suggestions?
We're always eager to hear your suggestions for ways to improve our book sale. Please email us at suggestions@friendspaloaltolib.org or mention them to a volunteer at the sale.

Start Your Stamp Collection this Summer

Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with the number of collectors in the United States alone estimated to be over 20 million. Postage stamps are often collected for their historical value and geographical aspects and also for the many different subjects depicted on them, ranging from ships, horses, and birds to kings, queens and presidents. If you are one of those million collectors or want to be one, we have got a deal for you. Offered this month several commemorative collections:

Dominican Republic 1956 - Summer Olympics in Melbourne box set. This is a fine Olympic collection of 40 souvenir sheets, 20 stamps per sheet with plastic sleeve. Set sells for $20.

First day covers 25th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 1978. The 25th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was commemorated by this elegantly designed mint stamp sheets from British New Hebrides. Issued on June 2, 1978, these stamps have covers from each country in Great Britain, a deal at $30. (Yes, this is the Queen that jumped out a plane for this summer's games!)

Four volume set, Philatelic History of the United States West portal collection 1565- 1977. The first sheet in this collection depicts the settling in 1565 of a small fort at St. Augustine, Florida, founded by the Spanish, in 1607. This four-volume set will be sold together for $80.

 
Preview Our Shelves

Click here to see some of the shelves at this weekend's sale Check out some of the thousands of books that will be on sale this weekend using our shelf preview pictures.

 
Summer Cooking for Everyone

The kitchen has been heating up this summer and everyone can get involved. Our Children's Room has a full basket of cookbooks for kids. Look for a copy of "All-Star Fast and Fun Recipes" there you'll find easy-to-prepare dishes by well-known stars like Michelle Kwan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Oprah Winfrey. One favorite recipe from this book is "Touch down Tostadas" contributed by Steve Young. We have several copies of this kids cookbook plus many more, all priced at one dollar or fifty cents.

For the all the big kids we have dozens of gently used cookbooks to choose from. Cooking section manager Rosemarie Giamalis has displayed several copies of nearly new Williams Sonoma cookbooks. With simple titles like Chicken, Fish, Potato, Sauce, Hors d'oeuvres & Appetizers or Cooking Basics you're sure to find a cookbook that you can use to inspire you to get cooking with friends and families. Keep checking our Cooking section for a new selection of cookbooks each month; we receive so many cookbook donations that often we hold boxes of books for the following month's sale.

 
Summer Crafting on a Budget

There's no need to buy books on crafting because the Friends of the Palo Alto Library has a plethora of reading materials for how to best exercise your artistic muscle. Our Home & Crafts section books are great for learning because they often show descriptive pictures with step-by-step directions and you can learn and do the project at your own pace. The best part: most "how-to" books come in beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. For our August sale our Home & Crafts area has been blessed with a large donation of crafting books with an emphasis on knitting, crocheting, quilting, jewelry making and metal smithing. Use our monthly book sales to inspire you. Check out the large number of books available and see how very affordable learning or perfecting a craft can be. Being an avid crafter myself, I want to emphasize that you needn't be hard on yourself when exploring your artistic flair; the best way to approach crafting is with an open mind and to have fun!

 
Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

If you've been on vacation recently you may be interested in knowing about all the different transportation methods you used for your traveling. Why not take a short trip to our Transportation section to read more about what moved you? The definition of transportation is moving people or things from one place to another. Machines that move need motors, wind, steam, gas, oil or people to make them go. Cars, trucks, buses, etc. are machines we drive on land. Airplanes, jets and helicopters transport things and people in the air. Boats or ships carry people or things across water.... All that being said we have an entire section of books on transportation, including all of different modes mentioned above and more! If it can move you from here to there we have a book on it, its origins, how to repair it or how to build your own. As our Transportation section manager Althea Andersen says "Take a bus or take a train, take a boat or take a plane, take a taxi, take a car. May be near or may be far, take a space ship to the moon, but be sure to come back soon."

 
Sections on the Move in the Main Room

In a continued effort to accommodate the generous donations we receive and buyers' demand we occasionally revise and reshuffle our sections. Some sections get fluffed up and other pared down. Such is the case for our Biography/Memoirs and Reference sections. While the Biography/Memoirs section has doubled in size, Reference has moved to a smaller area in the Main Room's northwest corner. So for all of you interested in "Looking it up" look for the clip on lights above to guide you to a very reasonable priced Webster's Dictionaries and more reference books. Also, many donated dictionaries, thesauruses, atlases, and other reference works can be found in our Bargain Room.

What's on the shelves now where Reference used to be? I'm so glad you asked, it's Poetry! This popular section is being moved to a prime location on the Main room floor, row lucky number 13! Another section making a move is Asian Language; it's joining Poetry at the far end of row 13.

If you need help finding a specific section that's been moved look for the posted signs with the green arrows directing you. Or please feel free to ask one of our sales day floor persons to help you. Here at FOPAL we believe it's a privilege to help people find what they are looking for.

 
Vintage 1970s Star Wars Toys

Volunteer Miriam Landesman wants to mention a fabulous find in a recent donation, she writes "The Children's Book Room is selling a group of original 1970s Star Wars toys including the Millennium Falcon and dozens of action figures. This offering can be viewed and purchased at the cashier's table."

And, I'd like to mention that our Summer intern Charlette Cutkosky did some online research on the value of the Millennium Falcon is worth $50-$60 alone! Our collection includes 60+ action figures from the original Trilogy plus the Millennium Falcon and Stand all for $80.

 
Friends Bookstore in Downtown Library
If you cannot attend the book sale, please drop by the Friends Bookstore located inside the Downtown Library and open during library hours. It is restocked regularly with a unique selection of books for all ages and interests.
 
FOPAL Volunteers Rock!
Here's a big THANK YOU to the dozens of FOPAL volunteers who make this sale possible. It's in part because of our amazing volunteers that the FOPAL book sales are a great success. While attending the sale offer a "Thank You" to the volunteers you see. If you'd like to become a FOPAL volunteer please email jherceg@friendspaloaltolib.org or call 650-494-1266.
 
FOPAL Book Sale Notices Now on Twitter
You can now follow us on Twitter @fopalbooks. We'll post Sale notices and will reveal the Sunday 50% off section via our Twitter feed.
 
Bring Your Donations!
Donations are accepted in the Main Room during our normal hours of 2pm - 4pm Monday through Saturday. Use the door on the right side of the building, next to the fire lane. If you need to bring books to us outside of those hours just call (650) 213-8755 and see if anyone is working in the book room and can accept your donation. We also accept donations during the Book Sale hours as well. Book and media donations can also be dropped off at the Mitchell Park and Main Libraries (limit of one bag or box per day, please). Note that the new College Terrace Library does not have the space to store donations so they ask that you please do not drop donations off there. Pickups can be arranged for large donations or if you are physically unable to bring your books to us. Please email donations@friendspaloaltolib.org or call (650) 213-8755 for more information or to leave a message after hours.
 
Special Handling for Special Donations
Got an unusual donation? If there are things you'd like to donate to us that are rare, fragile or unusual and require special attention contact donations@friendspaloaltolib.org or call (650) 213-8755 and leave a message for Jerry Stone.
 
Think Ecologically! - Bring or Donate Your Own Bags
Due to the increasing reuse of grocery and other bags, we tend to run short at our sales and encourage you to bring your own cloth tote or paper bags to the sale. If you have any extra grocery or department store bags in good condition please bring them for your purchases at the sale. We would also gladly accept any extra bags you wish to donate.
 
Support Palo Alto's Libraries While You Shop
By shopping at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park a percentage of your purchase price can help the Palo Alto Libraries at no cost to you. At Kepler's, just mention to the cashier that you want to support the Friends of the Palo Alto Library.
This notice comes to you from the non-profit organization Friends of the Palo Alto Library. No trees were felled in the making of this e-mail. While the Better Business Bureau recommends that no more than 35% of a charitable organization's expenses be for management and fundraising expenses, ours were under 1% for our 2007-2008 fiscal year. In other words, over 99% of the money we raised went to help Palo Alto Library users. Visit our web site. Become a member by joining online.

Be sure to receive your own free copy of this e-mail notice so that you'll know about all special upcoming books sales. To sign up, just e-mail us. We carefully protect the privacy of your e-mail address. We will not share your e-mail address with any other organization and we will not use it for any purpose other than to send you these notices. If you do not wish to receive these e-mail notices in the future, please reply with the words "Remove Me" in the subject line.