GREENSBURG – The first Friends of the Greensburg/Decatur County Greensburg Public Library Book Sale of 2019 is 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 5 and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 6, with a special Early Bird Book Sale beginning at 6 p.m. April 4.

Friends of the Greensburg/Decatur County Public Library is a 501c(3) non-profit organization established in 1982 with the purpose of supporting the local library by raising money for specific projects.

“It’s only $5 to join, or $10 for a family, and for that you get first choice picks of the books we sell. We only call you maybe three times a year to bake something for the sale or work for a few hours at one of our book sales,” Jan Filler, the organization’s president, explained.

Friends of the Library volunteers advocate for libraries, raises much needed funds, sponsors programs and special events, and staffs the popular used book sales.

Daily News readers may remember when four volunteer members worked at putting together the book sale last year. President Jan Filler, Mary Stradley, Jan Tressler and Marilyn Beaver gathered, pulled out and organized almost the entire contents of a small storage room, stacked floor to ceiling with books large and small.

“This,” Filler said as she pointed to the stack, “was a stack that was as tall as those shelves across the back, across the side, and then across this side,” making a circular motion with her hands. “And all of these still need to be gone through. We’ve got to do these so we can get to our hardback books.”

Books available during the sale are from many genres including adventure, western, science fiction, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, self-help, young adult, and DIY, just to mention a few.

Friends of the Library uses the money made during their book sales to support the many worthwhile projects for which the library has become known, projects like the Summer Reading Program, Books for Babies, (the Friends make sure no newborn goes home from Decatur County Memorial Hospital without a complimentary baby instructions book), Battle for the Books, and a complete book series for teens are all possible mostly through funds raised by the Friends of the Library.

Contact the library at 812-663-2826 for questions about the library or joining the Friends of the Library.

Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-663-3111 ext. 7011 or email at bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com.