2008 Writing D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
September
2008
Shelf Esteem
Books and More, the bookstore run by the Friends of the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, finds new homes for old books and funds for the library.
By Jeff Berg
The Friends of the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library speaks volumes in its role in helping the city-operated facility help the public — thought not everything the group does may be obvious to the casual library patron.
 |
Books and More is back in business
for the Branigan Library after a closure for library repairs. (Photos
by Lisa D. Fryxell) |
The Las Cruces library group, which currently has about 150 members, began in 1976. From 1998 through July of this year, the Friends had raised more than $227,000 through its book sales and from donations. That works out to about $1,467 per square foot of the tiny (155 square feet) Books and More bookstore, which is staffed entirely by volunteers — nearly 50 of them at last count. And that includes a long stretch during which the bookstore was closed for library repairs; Books and More reopened at the beginning of this year.
Besides operating the bookstore — which, unlike most such ventures, sits right inside the library — and fundraising, the Friends encourages usage of the facility itself while working to improve the collection of books and other materials within. The Friends group sponsors monthly book reviews, funds the Summer Reading Programs for children and young adults, and hosts a flurry of other activities while drumming up donations to the Branigan Library.
This month, the group will sponsor its 25th Annual Mesilla Valley Author Award luncheon, Sept. 21 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. This year's featured author is Russ Bradbord, author of Paddy on the Hardwood.
Arlene Dohr has been the fundraising chair for the organization since 1997, and she began to oversee the volunteer staff and manage Books and More soon thereafter. In 2007 alone, the group raised over $64,000 for the library's coffers.
Dohr's background is in retail, so she has a lot of "carry-over" knowledge she can apply to the bookstore. Books and More has not always been inside the library itself, she says: "They used to operate out of an old building next to the Sun-News (on the west edge of downtown Las Cruces), and it was not the best facility. Then the Sun-News asked to have the building back, and the books we had were stored in a backroom at the Court Youth Center." It took seven months to clean out that storage area, she recalls.
In January 1998, the Friends held its first book sale in the Dresp Room of the Branigan Library. Books and More opened in the fall of 2003.
Dohr found her book-sale efforts to be so successful that she took her newly found knowledge to Silver City to help that Friends of the Library group find new homes for hundreds of used books. "They never raised so much money as they had after my visit, and my goal was to raise the maximum amount of money for them from the materials they had." She notes that as one of her proudest achievements — getting the Silver City library sales "going in the right direction."
Her husband Don notes a couple of reasons for Dohr's success: "She reads three or four books a week, skims a few others and keeps up on what is new by reading a few magazines that review books. She has a fantastic memory, which allows her to take requests for books by authors or subject from patrons and, with an eagle eye, finds the request more often than not."
For Books and More as well as the group's occasional and highly successful special book sales, Dohr prices each book individually. She says, "I look at it and think: What is the most or the least I would pay for this book?"
So far it has all worked well, as Dohr observes that "people seem agreeable." After so many years of pricing who knows how many used books, she adds quietly, "I think I know the value of books."
Prices range from 10 cents and up for children's books to 50 cents for paperbacks, and 50 cents and up for hardbacks.
"Ten percent of the books that are weeded from the library shelves are given to us," Dohr explains. "Once or twice a week, new categories are put on the store shelves or fresh titles are used to replace unsold ones."
From there, books get a second and third chance to end up at least temporarily on someone's home bookshelf. "A book gets a two-month trial, and I put them up twice. After that, I have 15 places I can take them to including local nursing homes, Las Cruces schools and the hospitals."
A sort of perpetual recycling takes place for these gently used volumes.
Donations of books are always welcome, but Dohr cautions twice that Books and More does not accept encyclopedias, textbooks or magazines. "If I took all of the National Geographics that were offered, I would still not have the 'one' that someone was looking for," she says. "I only keep books on hand that I know are saleable."
Dohr points to some neatly organized shelves on the far wall of the shop. This is the current selection of Spanish-language books, which are very popular. She adds that the bookstore can also be a cheap option for teachers to find resource materials.
The store even provides a search service for anyone who is looking for that one special subject, title or author.
Dohr also carries through on "theme" ideas such as the recent "Christmas in July" promotion, which featured cookbooks, fiction and nonfiction books and craft books with a holiday theme.
The "More" part of Books and More encompasses a selection of records, CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs, audio books, jigsaw puzzles and — something everyone should certainly have nowadays — Books & More tote bags. There is also a pleasant selection of booklovers' merchandise, such as note cubes, book covers, note cards and "famous person mugs."
The bookstore was closed for two and a half years because of a mold issue in that part of the library (a downstairs library meeting room was recently closed because of roof leaks). But Books and More has been going great guns since it reopened on Jan. 2 of this year.
Branigan Library itself is one of many Las Cruces city facilities that could use a building and budget upgrade. The lone book loaner in the city, the current building will mark its 30th birthday in 2009, and is starting to show its age. The building is home to almost 150,000 volumes, nearly 9,000 audio and video materials, and about 30 public computer terminals, which are always busy. Usage is heavy, and the wear and tear on the building is easy to note.
Recently, the library lost its aging bookmobile to repair problems; too many miles finally took a toll. Instead, the Branigan Library has started a successful program that loans books by mail to those unable to get to the facility.
Kathleen Teaze, who came to Las Cruces about a year and a half ago from Florida to take over administration of the library, says that there is a plan for library branches and a major expansion and renovation of the main building that was approved by the city council. But no funding has been allocated by the state legislature as of yet. She is hopeful that that will be forthcoming, along with funding for the idea of reading-room centers scattered around the city.
But in the meantime, Books and More will keep chugging right along, thanks to Dohr, her volunteers and Friends of the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library members.
It's simple, Dohr says. "I like to help people find the right book at the right price."
The Friends of Thomas Branigan Memorial Library operates Books and More for the public from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. New members are always welcome, and if 50 new members are signed up by the end of the year, Dohr and her husband will make a $500 donation to the organization. More information is available by calling 528-4000 or going to library.lascruces.org and clicking on the "Friends" icon. Information on the new Books By Mail program is also available at the site.
The Annual Mesilla Valley Author Award Luncheon is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21, at 12:30 p.m. at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. Reservations are $15 per person and can be made by sending name, address and number of reservations with check to Marge Little c/o Friends of TBML, 200 E. Picacho Ave., Las Cruces NM 88001. Tickets will be held at the door.
In Silver City, the Friends of the Library currently holds book sales the second Saturday of every month beginning at 9 a.m. for members and 10 a.m. for the general public, until 3 p.m., at 1510 Market St.
Read More Tumbleweeds