In a small, crowded room inside the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, plastic milk cartons filled with books are stacked high against the space’s beige walls. The bustling room feels more like a miniature Amazon fulfillment center, with volunteers pulling books out of the crates and shipping them to homes around Brentwood and the country.
“We ship out five days a week,” Cindy Franklin said. “We have to keep up with demand.”
Courtesy of Friends of Brentwood Library.
Franklin is president of the Friends of the Brentwood Library, and the cozy workroom serves as the central hub for the organization’s online bookstores. The Friends — a non-profit with more than 500 members — is known for its quarterly book sales, but few people realize they can purchase used books from the organization year-round.
“I like a book in my hand,” Brentwood City Commissioner Ken Travis said. “I don’t like to read electronic books, and sometimes I take longer than you can check out a book for to read it. So, I tend to buy books, but I’ve also bought books from the Friends of the Brentwood Library. You can just go online.”
The non-profit sells books at two online locations — an Amazon store and an eBay store. According to the Friends of the Brentwood Library website, the Amazon store “has over 3,000 items that rotate daily based on donations. Our dedicated volunteers list and ship over 2,600 orders every year.”
About the Friends of the Brentwood Library
The money raised from these sales goes directly back to the library. Over the years, the Friends have donated more than $1.4 million to the John P. Holt Brentwood Library. That money has helped fund programs, new equipment, book sets, a new pollinator garden, art displays, professional development for staff, and several other important initiatives.
“We take very seriously the charge the community has given us,” Franklin said. “All of this is made possible by the donations we receive from patrons. It’s the ultimate in recycling.”
A donation cart is available outside the library if anyone wishes to continue supporting the Friends’ book sales. For more information on the nonprofit or the online stores, visit, www.fobltn.org.
