Fairfield Public Library's First 'Gigantic Book Sale' Oct. 1

Pequot Library better start looking over its shoulder. Well, maybe not quite yet.

The Friends of the Fairfield Public Library is holding its first "Gigantic Book Sale" on Oct. 1, with 10,000 books, compact discs, DVDs, audio tapes, children's computer games and vinyl records on sale in the Rotary Room at the 1080 Old Post Road library.

While the "Gigantic Book Sale" can't compare yet to Pequot Library's famous "Summer Book Sale," which features more than 150,000 books under tents on the library's Great Lawn, Jane Siefert and Khorshed Randeria, members of Friends' board of directors and co-chairwomen of the Gigantic Book Sale, hope the sale's a big success.

"We're purposefully not doing it near the time Pequot does it because we don't want to compete with them," Randeria said Monday afternoon, adding that Pequot Library, while privately owned, is still a town library and open to the public. "We thought we would have it at an off time when people are not having book sales."

Siefert said everything would be priced under $5, and a lot of books would sell for $2 or $3. Randeria said roughly 70 percent of items for sale have been donated, with the remainder representing books that the library no longer has in circulation. "The only thing the library gives us is books that are no longer being circulated because they have to empty the shelves for new stuff coming in," Randeria said.

Siefert said she'd be thrilled if the sale generated $7,000 for the Friends of Fairfield Public Library, but would be happy if it generated $3,000 or $4,000 as well. "This is our first one. We're just kind of testing the waters to see if we can do it and people will come," she said.

Randeria said, "On the one hand, I'm terrified, and, on the other, I want to make a lot of money for the library."

Money raised in the sale will go toward programs that Fairfield Public Library wants to have but which are not included in its budget, Siefert and Randeria said. One such program is Soundwaves, which is a trio of musicians who perform classical music, and the Friends also contributes money toward the library's One Book, One Town program, in which everyone in town is invited to read the same book and attend discussions and theme-related events on the book. The library could have more musical programs with additional money, Randeria said.

"All proceeds are channeled back into the library," Siefert said.

Siefert said the idea for the Gigantic Book Sale originated from an ongoing sale of books in the library's lobby that Friends of the Fairfield Public Library found was its biggest fundraiser, raising from $800 to $1,000 a month.

The Oct. 1 sale, which continues on Oct. 2 and 3, will have a large supply of children's books and also will have collectible books and a collection of Sotheby's and Christie's catalogs. Siefert said elementary school teachers who retired had a large supply of children's books and donated them for the sale.

The sale on Oct. 1 will be open from 1 to 2 p.m. for book dealers, followed by the general public from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Randeria said.

On Oct. 2, the sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and, on Oct. 3, the final day, it's from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Friends' next big fundraiser is a gala, with wine, books and art, in January, with details to follow, Randeria said.