With between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors a month and numerous activities, the

Cape Coral Public Library offers much more to the community, thanks to the

Friends of the Library.

The Friends will be having their annual book sale from Thursday, Nov. 15,

through Saturday, Nov. 17.

And there are great deals to be had, said organizers.

“Hardcover books start at only $2 and paperbacks start at 75 cents,” said

Paula Novander, president of the Friends of the Cape Coral Library. “We also

have many audio books and CDs and the library has donated many recent ones.”

It’s also a great time to join the group, she noted. Thursday is a Member’s

Only Preview Day, where you can get even more deals, and you can join at the

door for only $10 a year. (Membership is $10 a year per individual, $15 for

a family, $50 for a Civic Benefactor and $100 for Corporate Benefactor.)

Tori Hersh is the principal librarian at the branch. They are a fabulous

group, she said. “They are very hard working, and they care a lot about

their community.

“The Friends paid for most of our programming here at our branch, and they

also are donating $10,000 this year, in addition to all the other monies

they have already donated.” The funds will go where needed, to many

different projects. “This will allow to put in new shelving possibly, update

our Wii gaming for children, and also allow us to do more programming.”

Novander and her husband Bob will both be working the sale. She’s been with

the Friends for more than six years. “It is important to me because I’ve

always loved books since I was a child, and think libraries are an amazing

place.”

She said the group gets a variety of feedback from thankful community

members that frequent the library – includintg children.

“We hear about them (the compliments) like from children in the summer, and

even the silliest little things we provide like event refreshments and

supplies, perhaps for the kids or the chess club, and we do prizes and

awards.”

Her husband Bob is the coordinator of the book sale, she said. “Its his

baby. It’s a lot of work and we appreciate him every day.”

The couple have been Cape residents for 17 years. “It’s been our branch;

we’ve been there a long time. They have an art gallery, a butterfly garden

in the back – where our garden club does the work, but funds come from the

Friends of the Library.”

The Art Gallery is completely handled by Friends volunteers; from contacting

the artists, organizing, and hanging artwork. “It’s been an interesting

addition to the library.”

They are also sponsoring an author at the Southwest Florida Reading

Festival.

For the book sale, she said, “We have more donations than ever. We actually

have a storage unit and have progressed to a second unit, almost double what

we have had.”

She write a president’s column in the group’s publication. “In the advent of

Nook and Kindle, we get more books.”

They are on track for that major $10,000 donation, but it may exceed that

for audio/visual updating and upgrading to blu-ray equipment and more.

About the Friends

of the Cape Coral Library

Friends are community members and volunteers who support the activities of

the library. Meetings are held at the library on the third Saturday of

January, March, September and November. All are welcome.

Social begins at 9:30 a.m. with a short business meeting at 10 a.m. and

“always an interesting program”.

Their holiday brunch will be held Sunday Dec. 9 at Palmetto Pines Country

Club. Contact Patty Duncan at 541-2617 for reservations.

For more information, leave a message on the Friends Hotline at 349-2572 or

visit at capefriends.org.

The Cape Coral Public Library is at 931 S.W. 39th Terrace off Mohawk

Parkway.

Donations to the book sale are always appreciated. Leave a message on the

Friends Hotline at 349-2572 to schedule a pickup or small quantities can be

left at the library circulation desk.