Merrie Thompson is retiring from her long-time service to the Friends of the Washougal Library book sale after this summer’s sale. She has been the lynchpin of the effort to sell many thousands of used books per year. The funds supported the Library Building Fund to the tune of over $200,000 according to Chris, Friends Treasurer. Other programs at the Washougal Library received the benefit of the book sales, including regular programming expenses in the Library.
It’s a great time to review Merrie’s 21 year contribution and that of her stalwart husband, Glenn.
Merrie freely admits that she didn’t know what she was doing when she first volunteered to head up the effort. At the first book sale, she and other equally untrained volunteers showed up the day before the sale, to sort books, set up the displays and then sell, sell, sell. It made for a very long weekend.
When I met Merrie the first time I volunteered for the sale, it was a very well-oiled machine, with hundreds of boxes clearly labeled by type, tables set up for each category, and no old, tattered, or damaged books in the bunch. Glenn and their boys were at the front of the pop-up store, ready to jump up and assist with heavy lifting, setup, and directions for new volunteers and visitors to the sale.
Through the years, all that sorting was done at a variety of locations, including a free storage unit downtown for a couple of years. Since 2018, it’s all accomplished in a small but dry shed on Merrie and Glenn’s beautiful Mule Property. (Two mules). Books are stored at two trailers also on the property.
Books are mainly donated at the Library, and transported to the Shed by Merrie and Glenn. Here the major sorting gets done in very cramped quarters. Books are sorted by publishing date (too old and they’re not sold at the sale). Then by subject – 30+ different subjects – fiction and non-fiction, cook books, children’s books by age, mystery, art, Christmas, history, romance, sports. With such a small space, Merrie has leaned on her family to come over and assist.
Pro tip: store hard cover books on their back, otherwise, the pages separate from the back. Another essential requirement is that the books must be kept completely dry and in a low humidity environment. Warped and stained books are not saleable.
Merrie and Glenn have worked hard for decades and they hope the book Sale will not end. Merrie envisions training a new cadre of volunteers and finding a new home for the thousands of books in hundreds of boxes that must be sorted and stored. So if you have a spare garage or shed, and/or know someone who is looking for a big job volunteering in the community, let Merrie know and the Book Sale can live on.
