Friends of Rodman Library book sale is a huge operation. What does it take to run it?

ALLIANCE ‒ An event like the massive Friends of Rodman Public Library Used Book Sale is quite an operation. It takes generosity.

Lots of muscles, too.

More than 10,000 items, including books, paperbacks, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records and puzzles will be available for sale Aug. 3-7 at The Commons in Alliance. The annual sale attracts buyers from several states and Canada, and is in conjunction with the Greater Alliance Carnation Festival.

Pricing for book sale: Friends of Rodman Library book sale set for August

Most of the items cost 10 cents to $1 apiece. The sale also will include raffle baskets featuring quilts and a lottery board.

"We look forward to it," said event organizer Barbara Burley, president of the Friends of Rodman Public Library. "I think everyone does. We get to see people we see once a year, pretty much, and they always say they can't wait to get here and see (the sale)."

But, pulling off this extraordinary event, Burley said, takes a lot of volunteers. "If it wasn't for them, we couldn't do all of this."

What does it take to get the book sale ready?

All of that − a five-day sale of literature − culminates a painstaking operation that starts shortly after the last one, and with new donations.

Burley said any leftovers from the previous sale find new homes, including Head Start, so new items are needed for the next sale. All of the items in this year's sale − about 75% from community donors − were collected within the last 10 to 11 months. The other 25% come from library extras.

"We work one day a week. Five ladies come in and sort out the books and put them in different categories," she said. "When we get close to the sale, it's sometimes two days a week or three days a week, getting it all organized."

Friends of Rodman Public Library stores all of the donations in Rodman Library's basement until the sale.

Then it's time for, "the football players," Burley said.

Mount Union football players, Marlington Local athletes flexed their muscles

The Friends of Rodman Public Library can't move and unload more than 1,000 boxes into Alliance Commons by themselves. Instead, they assemble a team of volunteers, including Mount Union football players, to help get the sale ready.

This year's team also included at least 20 athletes − including wrestlers and bowlers − from Marlington Local School District, and other community members. RE/MAX Edge Realty in Alliance also donated use of a large box truck to transport the items, Burley said.

Senior Purple Raider linebacker Marcus Jackson and sophomore wide receiver Jerry Cooper helped on the July 25 moving day. Between loads, they said they had never seen so many books in one place at one time. "At least not like this," Jackson said.

Cooper added: "We're getting a little workout."

Chad Hilliard, the new athletic director at Marlington, said he wants district athletes to become more involved in the community and perform service work. The chance to help the book sale "fell on our plate," and Hilliard said they jumped on it.

"I can't believe the amount of donations the library receives in the course of a year," Hilliard said.

Burley said the money raised from the sale helps Friends of Rodman Public Library take care of library needs the budget won't allow.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com . On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP .

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Friends of Rodman Library book sale is a huge operation. What does it take to run it?