Labor Day Book Sale

The Greenbelt Elementary PTA runs a used book sale every year as part of the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival, Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1, 2008. We will have more than 20,000 books for sale, all donated during the month of August by members of the community.

Watch for updates in Summer 2008.

For book donors:

We have no place to store books before August 1, so please keep your books until then. The Friends of the Greenbelt Public Library accept donated books throughout the year; bring the books to the library, or ask at the library for more information if you have a large donation.

Please bring the books to the Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket in Roosevelt Center between August 1 and Wednesday, August 27, 2008. We can pick up large donations; call 301-474-2041 (phone number may change!). Do not bring the books to the school without calling first, as a PTA member must meet you there. Do not ask the school staff for help; their job is getting the school ready for classes. Donations of books are tax-deductible; please ask for a receipt if you believe your donation is worth more than $250.

For Shoppers:

Come to the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival on Labor Day weekend.

Opening times:

Friday, Aug 29, 6pm to midnight.
Saturday, Aug 30, 9am to midnight
Sunday, Aug 31, noon to midnight
Monday, Sept 1, noon to 4pm.
(Times subject to change.)

We might close due to rain.

On Friday, during setup, we have a strictly enforced "Do Not Touch the Books!" policy until 5:45pm. You are allowed to look, but are asked to keep out of the way of the volunteers who are setting up. If everything is set up on time, you can begin to collect books at 5:45, and pay for them starting at 6:00pm.

Prices:

$1.00 Hardcover
50c Paperback
50c Children's Hardcover
25c Children's Paperback
3/25c or $2/box Magazines
$1.00 Other (DVDs, CDs, tapes, videos, puzzles, etc.)
(Prices subject to change without notice.)

No "deals" or "discounts" on Friday through Sunday. Sales tax included in the prices. On Monday, the books will be free, but we will gladly accept donations of 25c/book or $3 to $5/box, or whatever you want to give. Cleanup and recycling starts at 4pm on Monday. Please come to get books before 4pm; we will not allow you to get in the way of the cleanup.

Any additional donations are gratefully accepted. The PTA supports a wide range of activities in the school, and donations are tax-deductible. Please tell the cashiers if you are making an additional donation, so that we do not pay sales tax on it.

The books are sorted into boxes, with orange stickers on the fiction boxes and green stickers on the non-fiction. The stickers may have a letter, indicating (C) Cooking/crafts/etc., (D) Dictionaries/Reference, (M) Mysteries/Science Fiction/Horror, or (R) Romance. About 10% of the books are children's books, which are kept separate.

The Festival:

The Greenbelt Labor Day Festival is the largest event of its kind in Maryland, with 20,000 people in attendance. Click here for more information. There are rides, entertainment, food, art and photo shows, children's events and sports. To get to the festival, park at Eleanor Roosevelt High School on Greenbelt Road, and take the free festival shuttle, or a 10-minute walk across the pedestrian bridge over the B-W parkway and down Gardenway to the city center.

For PTA Members:

2007 set another record, with net profits exceeding $5000! Thank you to all the many volunteers who worked very hard to achieve this - and to the wider community for donating more than 23,000 books, and for buying them!

In 2006 we made $4180.20, despite the torrential rain. 
In 2005 we made a record-breaking net profit of $4,720.98.

The books are collected during the month of August, ending the Wednesday before Labor Day.  The co-op supermarket has a box where books can be left during this time.

Volunteers are needed to:

- Collect the books from the co-op each day and take them to the school

- Sort the books at the school

- Transport the books from the school to the booth

- Sell the books during the festival weekend (usually in 2-hour shifts)

If you would like to volunteer at this or any other event, please contact gespta@greenbelt.com.

Labor Day book sale Committee Chair: Melissa Sites.


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