Spring is here in Ithaca, and this year’s Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale begins on Saturday. Over a quarter of a million items will be for sale at the big green building on Esty Street over the next three weekends: April 26-28, May 3-5 and May 10-13.

The sale began in 1948 as a once-a-year fall sale. Eventually, the donations outgrew the original space, and, 15 or so years ago, the Friends acquired the empty warehouse on Esty Street. Improvements have been made to the building, making it possible for volunteers to accept and sort books for the sale all year long. The number of items donated makes a twice-yearly sale necessary.

The spring sale is now as big an event as the justly famous fall sale, which has long been considered one of the top three volunteer sales in the country.  For a first time visitor, the sight of an entire warehouse filled with tables and bookcases packed with books, records, videos, cassettes, compact discs, games, puzzles, maps, magazines and more, is truly impressive. Even seasoned volunteers are amazed.  Every item has been carefully sorted for the convenience of eager buyers.

Everyone who enters the sale receives a map of the premises showing where each category is located. The day’s prices are displayed on large posters on the walls and on the back of the map.  Prices decrease each day until the final Monday of the sale when all items are just 10 cents! The last day of the sale, May 13, is known as Bag Day, and everything that can fit into a plastic grocery bag is $1. Bags are available that day from noon to 8 p.m. and there is no limit on bags.

Books are available in subjects ranging from anthropology to travel to fiction. Fiction is separated into sections including science fiction/fantasy, mystery and novels, which are divided into pre-20th century, hard cover, trade (large) paperback and mass market paperback. A large and well-sorted area is devoted to children’s books, further subdivided by nonfiction subject matter, age category and fiction type. I’m always delighted and encouraged to see children pleased with their new books.

The vinyl record collection (located near the music and sheet music sections) is sorted according to genre and artists or composers within genre. My favorite is the classical section, including boxed operas. This year there is a large collection of books related to jazz as well as many jazz records. There are other types of materials available, including games and puzzles, graphic novels, computer software and magazines.

The book sale building is located on Esty Street, between the Ithaca Bakery (at Court and Meadow) and Purity Ice Cream (at Cascadilla and Meadow), a short walk from the Short Line bus station across from Greenstar. Other than specials and recent textbooks, all items are priced as either A, B, C or D. A ($4.50 the first day) includes hardcover and trade paperback books, B includes puzzles and games, C includes mass market paperbacks and single disc records and D ($1 the first day) includes cassettes and sheet music. Children’s books are priced as B or D.

The sale runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, except on Saturday, when it runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on the final Tuesday, when it is open from noon to 8 p.m.

Sunny Gooding has volunteered at the Friends of the Library Book Sale for the past three years.