It’s unlikely you’ll find a rare first-edition book at the Friends of the Needham Public Library’s upcoming book sale. But valuable books worth hundreds of dollars have found their way into the community room on occasion.
That’s according to book sale co-chairs Linda Novak, Jennifer Quinn and Rick Fleck, who add that it’s more likely you’ll just have fun on your own treasure hunt and come home with literary goodies for yourself, your kids or your grandkids at very little cost.
Many Needham residents are acquainted with the book sale, which was first held in 1973 and now happens three times a year. But what they might not know is the behind-the-scenes journey each book takes before it ends up in the hands of a buyer. Like a weary traveler, each book can go a different route once it’s dropped off in a donation bin.
The process begins upstairs on the third floor (did you know the library has one?), where volunteers scan donated books using an app that suggests each book’s market price. Books valued at $8 and below go to the sale, where they are priced at $1. Mass-market paperbacks sell for 50 cents.
Books valued at $8 to $14 are put in the Friends’ book shop along the first-floor windows. The shop operates year-round and inventory turns over every two weeks.
Books valued at $14 and over are packed up and sent to Amazon for resale, which is why it’s unlikely shoppers will find books of significant monetary value. The company takes a cut, then sends the remaining profit back to the library.
For many years, Needham resident Sam Stern, a college professor and book dealer, processed and sold the more valuable books for the library. Quinn inherited the job after Stern died in 2023.
“Yes, we do get valuable things,” Quinn said. She admitted she can’t always determine a book’s value, so there’s a chance a shopper might come across something rare at the sale.
But not everyone is looking for valuables. “Some book dealers are looking to buy things as cheaply as they can so they can sell the books for a profit,” Quinn said. Other shoppers are just looking for a hot Freida McFadden title, a Steinbeck classic, a new book of ethnic recipes or fairy tales for the grandkids. The book sale is likely to have something for everyone.
The next step is finding a home for books with little or no value. “Sometimes you get a table full of yuck. Some people don’t clean their books, or there are books that should have gone right into the garbage,” Quinn said.
Those books are taken to a company called Bay State. “They give us pennies on the pound and try to sell them on their website,” Fleck said. “Whatever they can’t sell, they pulp for paper towels. It’s great to know none of these books are going to landfills. They’re going to be read or recycled.”
Some of the books come from people cleaning out their homes. Novak, who is in charge of the children’s section, said families donate kids’ books after their children grow up. The library itself also donates books to the sale. The co-chairs agree that when you get someone’s full collection you can imagine a little bit about them — sometimes even a lot.
Income from the library book sales, Amazon sales, the book shop and Bay State totals about $70,000 a year. The funds go to the library for various projects, including the new teen space on the second floor.
The book sale production is a well-oiled machine, thanks to the volunteers who work year-round sorting, scanning and selling.
“I love that people here are multigenerational and just people from towns I never knew,” Quinn said. Novak, who’s been involved in the sale for more than nine years, said her daughter even comes up from Atlanta to help out each year. “We’re like a little family up here.”
The Friends of the Needham Public Library Book Sale will be held Oct. 3–5. Check the library website for times and more details.
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