story and photo by Darl DeVault, contributing editor
The annual Friends of the Metro Library Booksale in February expanded to its most extensive offering of books in the last three years, aided by senior volunteers who stepped up to face the challenge of a large crowd.
Thousands of book lovers lined up early on Saturday, February 22, well before the 9 a.m. opening in the Oklahoma Expo Hall at the Oklahoma City State Fairgrounds.
The used book selection and the number of shoppers in the “Better Books” section in the smaller building known for its high-quality and rare books showed it was a major draw for many book lovers.
“This event is growing every year, and we are proud of our 1,000 volunteers, many of whom are seniors,” said Heather Zeoli, Metro Library System director of development. “Their dedication and sense of community are what make this event truly special. We are so grateful for their support to help us raise funds for our library programs.”
It may have been a record crowd for Saturday, but estimating the number of shoppers at an event when the crowd never ends is difficult.
Many customers from out of state consider the book sale a must-attend event every year. In the crowd shopping the better books area, one senior customer said he had never missed a book sale.
John Carpenter, 70, continued his personal tradition of attending every sale over the years. At the table for books by Oklahoma authors and books about Oklahoma, he was so excited that he was willing to brag about his good fortune this year.
An article in “Senior News and Living” documented his participation several years ago. This year, he explained the purpose his wife and he had for attending, which has evolved over the last decade. He and his wife, Jo Ann Hogan, now carefully sift through the Better Books section in search of author-autographed books they can sell online through their eBay bookstore.
The two were proud of what they found on offer this year. “I am buying a book written and autographed by Carl Albert,” Carpenter said in an interview. “Carl Albert explains in this OU Press published work “Little Giant” how he was elected to serve in the House of Representatives alongside John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. Having read this before, I know it documents his first eight years and even more detail about his election to being the speaker of the house for seven years.”
Carpenter, a Choctaw resident and retired United States and Oklahoma probation and parole officer, has become a well-known local yoga and spin class instructor since retiring in 2011. He launched a series of YouTube videos for his Okie Yoga Class at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which remains available online.
The Booksale’s popularity has led to a competitive atmosphere among shoppers, who know this is a once-a-year opportunity to find great deals on books and other media. Despite the frenzied atmosphere, the sale remains a favorite among book lovers and bargain hunters alike. It offered a unique opportunity to discover new authors and titles while stocking up on beloved favorites.
Customers came to shop for various reasons. Some tried to select bestsellers, classics, collectibles, and research books needed for school. Others sought to complete their libraries in specific subjects, while parents strive to broaden their children’s reading exposure. The children’s section was swamped all day.
The sale offered a diverse selection of paperback and hardcover books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, and more for every customer demographic. The hardbound better books and paperback books featured a wide range of subjects. They included fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, biographies, medical books, westerns, romance, children’s books, encyclopedias, reference books, and foreign language books. Several thousand large-print books were offered, featuring larger point-size fonts designed to make reading easier for readers with weak eyesight.
Despite the vast number of books on offer, the sale was organized by many senior volunteers in a way that allowed customers to easily navigate through the different sections of tables. The literary sale has become a special event in Oklahoma and beyond, offering book lovers a chance to connect with like-minded readers.
The sale’s success was a testament to the enduring appeal of the written word and the passion and dedication of its volunteer organizers and supporters. It serves as a beacon of hope for promoting reading in our community.
Volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure that everything ran smoothly. They went to great lengths to ensure that the thousands of books were well-organized by subject, allowing shoppers to find what they wanted easily. With so much on offer, getting lost in the sea of books could have been easy, but the volunteers were always ready to help.
The sale raised money to support the Metropolitan Library System. Nearly $250,000 was raised this year, allowing the proceeds to be distributed as grants to support the system. This means in its 45-year run, the volunteers have now given more than $5 million in grants to the system. These funds have been instrumental in supporting many library-related community programs.
