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Inside the Friends' book operation: donations, BookScouter and volunteers keep the library shelves moving
Summary
Friends volunteers described how donated books are processed, how BookScouter online resale works, and who helps: weekly volunteer shifts, a work-release crew and student groups. Volunteers reported recent intake numbers and storage constraints.
Friends of the Eagle Public Library walked trustees through the group's workflow for donations and sales, explaining how donations are moved, sorted and sold online and at in-person sales.
"We've given you a packet... The first part of it is just how the book circulate, the books, the puzzles, and the CDs," the Friends president explained as the group reviewed materials showing donation and sale flows. Volunteers described a donation bin behind the library, carts that run to City Hall five to seven times a week, sorting in a community-room workspace, and use of a BookScouter program that scans ISBN barcodes to identify online vendors.
Volunteer Joe McIntyre said he sorts scouted books on Fridays and prepares stock for the bookstore and sales; Mary Prowse described scanning, invoicing and packing sold books and said she handles the Friends' financial reports. Pat Miller said volunteers are making multiple weekly trips to move boxes to City Hall and that the Friends recently received about 8,000 books in a four-month span and currently have roughly 148 boxes in storage.
Volunteers also recounted partnerships that support operations, including a work-release program that assists with sorting and student groups that help after sales. The Friends noted operating expenses are low (postage is paid by buyers for online sales) and that most proceeds are donated back to the library.
