Friends of Lake Forest Library detail volunteer-run book sale and $3 million in support to library

Dr. Tanya Wong, president of the Friends of Lake Forest Library, told the Lake Forest City Council on Aug. 4 that the volunteer group sorts tens of thousands of donated books each year and has contributed more than $3 million to the library since its founding. Wong said the Friends organization catalogs, sorts and stores donations year-round and prepares approximately 2,400 full boxes of books for the annual fall sale; she said the group sorted through roughly 200,000 donated books in a recent cycle and organized items into more than 100 categories for sale. "Income from the sales along with donation and membership fees has allowed us to contribute over $3,000,000 to our library," Wong said. Wong described other Friends-supported programs: scholarships for Lake Forest high school students, community reading programs, summer activities for children, speaker events and restoration work on library features and artwork. She said the group has 24 board members and about 50 regular volunteers who store donations, shelve keepers and prepare boxes for the sale. Wong told council that storage loss because of library courtyard reconstruction increased overhead; the group moved approximately 1,500 boxes to off-site storage and expects to produce 900 more boxes before the sale. The Friends plan their public sale on a weekend in September with members-only preview days; they are also planning events to mark a 50th anniversary in 2026. Council members thanked the Friends and noted the group’s role in a public–private partnership that supports library programs while helping keep local taxes low.