Oak Park Newspaper

40th Annual Oak Park Book Fair Location Moves to 260 Madison Street; Books and Volunteer Book Sorters Needed through July for Book Fair

Recycle your reads and help raise money for the Oak Park Public Library! Your gently used books – as well as videotapes, DVDs, CDs, computer games and records -- can be dropped off at the Security Desk of the Main Library, 834 Lake Street, through June 30. Beginning Monday, July 5, books, videotapes, DVDs, CDs, computer games and records can be dropped off at the book sale new location, 260 Madison, two blocks east of Ridgeland Avenue.

The Friends of the Oak Park Public Library will host the 40th Annual Oak Park Book Fair on Friday evening, Aug. 6, from 6 to 10 p.m. (Admission costs $5) The sale continues Saturday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. (Admission is free.) The Oak Park Book Fair, hosted by the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library, will have a new location for both drop-off for donated books and the sale in 2010. The new location is at 260 Madison, a former auto dealership. At the sale, readers can choose from more than 100,000 gently used books at the sale -- everything from fiction and biographies to business and art.

The Book Sale has been held the past 30 years at Oak Park-River Forest High School. Construction planned for this summer has forced the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library to move the location of the sale. The Village of Oak Park now owns the building at 260 Madison and is allowing the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library to use the space with no rental charge.

Book donations as well as volunteer sorters and sellers are needed for the sale. Beginning Monday, July 5, books should be left in specially marked bins at 260 Madison The most popular sellers are fiction including mystery, science fiction, and romance novels, cook books and all types of children’s literature.

Beginning July 5 through July 30, volunteer book sorters are needed Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. at the 260 Madison site. At the sale, readers can choose from more than 100,000 gently used books at the sale -- everything from fiction and biographies to business and art.

For 39 years, the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library Book Fairs have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund summer reading programs for all ages and school holiday programs for children, the award-winning Young Adult Coffeehouses, cultural events, author readings, folk concerts and many other Library services. To volunteer, call the Friends’ Office at (708) 445-6260. For more information, call (708) 697-6915.