Library Friends to hold book sale on July 7

Group president Maureen E. Sebangiol said Wednesday that they decided to have the book sale regularly instead of having it at random due to increased volume of donated books and the increasing number of people leaving island.

“Additionally, we thought that if we did it more predictably, we could increase the amount of books moving into the homes of those that enjoy reading,” she said.

The group is scheduled to hold its next book sale this Saturday, July 7, from 8am to noon outside the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library in Susupe.

During book sale events, Library Friends puts up for sale different learning materials-from hardback books, CDs, and DVDs that are $1 apiece, to paperbacks for only 50 cents or magazines that are 10 cents each. They also offer videotapes which “may be had for free” but without guarantee that they play.

Sebangiol said the book sale generates funds that “can range from enough to pay for the tent and pizza for the staff/volunteers to up to $370.”

“In the past, we were able to apply for grants and receive donations from community organizations but for the past four years we have not had a board of directors so we cannot access these other revenue streams,” she told Saipan Tribune.

Lack of participation, Sebangiol noted, still remains an issue in the group as only the same three individuals show up to be involved whenever a Library Friends meeting is scheduled.

“Only one of these people has expressed an interest in taking a leadership position with Library Friends but I cannot turn over the presidency unless we have a quorum of Library Friends members to vote in a new board,” she added.

Sebangiol emphasized that Library Friends remains vital to the library and its acquisition of new materials, including those used for craft projects throughout the year.

However, she would like to turn over the group’s leadership to a new set of officers so she can take on new responsibilities like starting a support group for persons with chronic lung disease and/or lung cancer.

As a mother who still has a child “in need of maternal transportation,” Sebangiol pointed out that she needs to relinquish her Library Friends duties before assuming another.

“If I am unable to properly turn over the lead of Library Friends, I will have to close the organization down at the end of this year,” she said. “It would sadden me deeply to have that be the end of the organization.”

For more information about Library Friends, visit the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library in Susupe, or call 235-7316 and look for Erlinda Naputi or Celina Foreman.

By Clarissa V. David
Reporter