Friends Quick links
Friends President -
Newsletter Editors:
Circulation Manager - Francenia Wilson
Membership Chair -
Library Staff Liaison - 507.328.2343
Book Sales
In addition to our bookstore sales, the Friends hold 5 sales per year (see below).
We also have several online sales opportunities:
or selling textbooks for virtual funds for the library.
Featured books for sale in the Bookstore.
Second Saturday Bookstore Sales - 2011
Saturday, December 10
Holiday Sales
10:00 am - 1:00 pm - Library Foyer
Auditorium Sales
2012 Winterfest Sale
- Gift quality books
- Book sale
Thursday, February 2
*9:30 am - 8:00 pm - Auditorium
Friday, February 3
9:30 am - 4:00 pm - Auditorium
2012 Rochesterfest Book Sale
- Gift quality books
- Book sale
Wednesday, June 20
*9:30 am - 8:00 pm - Auditorium
Unusual and Special Books will be on sale from
10:00 am - 2:00 pmThursday, June 21
9:30 am - 7:00 pm - AuditoriumUnusual and Special Books will be on sale from
10:00am - 2:00pm
*Friends' members gain admission half an hour early to the first day of book sales!
Become a Friends' Member now (enjoy 20% discount in the bookstore).
Amazon.com commission
When you Shop on Amazon.com, by entering through the Friends portal, the library receives an average 5% return on ALL Amazon purchases (including Marketplace vendors): books, music, DVDs. Computer printers, bass guitars, patio furniture, vitamins, diapers, duvets, pancake mix, generators, birthstone jewelry…
This RPL/Amazon associate relationship began in 2005, and since then the library has received over $4,000. [Go ahead, your son would love that $1200 Les Paul Gibson guitar.]
A win-win example: RPL asked the Friends for a new laminator to replace the old one “on its last legs”. The office staff found the best-priced one on Amazon, and we ordered it for $1503. The purchase delighted the staff, pleased the Friends, AND earned us a $75 commission. For the year 2010 we earned nearly $1,500 in commission.
Please, remember your Friends when you shop Amazon! - For Valentine's, for birthdays, anniversaries, and every day shopping.
Online Book Sales
Our Online Sales team sells books on the Internet all
year long: Al Dollerschell—Amazon worldwide, Pat
Stephenson— text books with various vendors, Sylvie
Nickel and Carol Smyrk- Unusual & Special
books on Amazon as well as onsite sales. Online sales are just over $22,000! Online sales
contribute significantly to our pledge to the
Library for programming and items not included in
the budget. Remember we get 5% of sales on Amazon
when you go to the Library Web site, click on
Friends and then click on Amazon to do your shopping.
Rare or Interesting Books
http://www.amazon.com/shops/zumbro
Since September, 2004, Al Dollerschell has maintained a one-man
bookstore for the Rochester Friends on Amazon.com. This summer his net
sales surpassed a milestone $10,000. Al started the enterprise when he
noticed that some of the books contributed from the community were
highly specific in topic and might be valuable. He explained that all book
donations are first screened for possible use on the library shelves
before being turned over to the Friends. Most are either placed in the
Bookstore or held for our quarterly
sales. When “rare or interesting”
books come to the Friends, Al researches them for value and lists
them on the Amazon.com web site. He credits the educated book sorters
for setting aside many of the books for possible Amazon sale. All types of
books are listed, with subjects “all over
the place,” he says, although there is
very little fiction. Recent sales have included a
picture book on Mexican costume which sold for $599, an introduction to
magnetic materials which went for $349.95, and a book written in
Croatian which was purchased by a woman in Vienna, Austria for $82.95.
Al has received 5 out of 5 star rating from 99% of his customers with comments including:
" The purchase arrived five days after ordering, despite having to come to Australia" January 2010
"Received quickly; book was advertised as "Good" condition, but was in fact excellent condition for its age." February 2010
"I have looked for this book for a long time! This book was read to our class by our school librarian when I was a young child and it brings back very sweet memories of that time. The book is in excellent condition (especially for its age) and is as the seller described it - ONLY BETTER!!! Thank you for getting shipped so quickly! " February 2010
"I appreciate you letting me cancel part of my order with you - I got carried away and over spent. Thank you!" November 2009
He currently has over 2000 titles listed. Thanks for all of your hard work, Al!
Unusual and Special Books
Click here or here for Special and Unusual books
The Friends of the Library’s mission regarding books could be defined as stewardship -- responsible authority for processing donations in a way to obtain the best possible value for the Library. “Fine” is just the right word for the array of Unusual & Special donated
books that the Friends offer at the auditorium sales, on Amazon.com, and in the Bookstore. The team researches the books
online to determine whether they are truly “collectible” and valuable,
and what prices are appropriate.
History - How We Got Started
A number of the thousands of donated books can be described as “rare or unusual and special.” The Friends realized that many of these books were more valuable than could be featured on the Bookstore’s Collectibles shelf.
The first sale special books occurred in the RochesterFest 2001. With this sale of Tarzan and the Forbidden City, which sold for $100 to a local collector who stopped by frequently to ensure he was still the high bidder.
Then came Maxfield Parrish: A stunning 1925 1st edition of The Knave of Hearts appeared amongst the donated books; the book was listed on eBay—and it sold for more than $1200!
Al Dollerschell, Friends Board member and former RCTC librarian, he joined and began “rescuing” obscure and eclectic books from the sorting room and selling them via Amazon.com with increasing success.
The RochesterFest Silent Auctions continued through 2006, but then became part of the Friends year-round booksales. Sylvie Nickel also began listing some Unusual & Special books on Amazon--often attractively illustrated children’s books that she hates to part with, but also deceptively modest-looking histories or memoirs. Recently, a plain-looking copy of Frontier and Indian Life and Kaleidoscopic Lives, a memento of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Washburn, North Dakota sold for $280 (appropriately, to a buyer from Bismarck).
How Much Is That Book Worth?
Spotting a potentially valuable book is often a matter of intuition. We do research on various online Web sites, and if not too many books are offered for sale, then we read the descriptions to see which best match our copy, consider local buying habits, and price accordingly. We feature books at the special sales if they are particularly eye-catching; if not, we’ll sell it online. Sometimes we must decide between a “slow dollar” and a “fast nickel” in pricing.
Now Available in a Showcase Near You...
RPL’s John Hunziker creatively adapted a rarely used 2nd floor display case to fit the needs of the Unusual & Special team, and a selection of our books can now be viewed “between sales” in the display next to the elevator on the 1st floor. Patrons interested in one of the displayed books can contact Carol or Sylvie and “buy it now.” Soon we plan to display some of the books currently listed on Amazon and offer them at an appropriate discount (no Amazon fee, no shipping charge) if purchased onsite. Keep an eye on the display, and also watch for additional articles on Friends book-selling activity.
Sylvie has received 5 out of 5 star rating from most of her customers with comments including:
"Terrific seller. Prompt and item just as, if not better, than described." June 2009
"Fast shipping,just as seller noted, completely happy with my order. Thank you very much." February 2008
For additional information, see the Library's January 2010 newsletter.
Last updated: 12/5/11
Auditorium Booksale
Paige Turner
