Friends of the Library Alachua County Library District - Gainesville, Florida

Yukti T.

Absolutely worth it! Go for the Fall sale and take out the time to spend finding art and books! You won't regret it.

There are books starting 25 cents to $1. The great ones in the collectors' section would be around $2-5. The art prints are also lovely, same pricing. They have some really good journals too for under $2. What a beautiful world to live in.

Carrie D.

5 Star for the staff and volunteers. They are amazing at organizing the sales. Zero stars for the resellers who block aisles, clear out entire sections and are pushy and rude. I know the staff/volunteers do what they can with what they have. And my little purchases do not equal up to what a reseller purchases but it is coming to the point where it's no longer enjoyable or physically possible for me to enjoy the sales. I usually go for 3 days but I think this (10/24) will probably be my last. I would gladly pay an entry fee/cover fee to be able to shop earlier hours or later hours with no resellers.

Keith I.

So many used books, CDs, records, games, paintings, and puzzles - most ranging from $0.25-1.75! If you have a love of reading and literature, this is the place for you!

Advice:
Arrive early.
Bring cash.
Use restroom before arrival.
Wear comfy clothes.
Bring something to carry your purchases.
Know what you are looking for.

Parking is kind of a hassle, but with so many people coming and going, you will probably be alright.

Rachel E.

This was my first visit to the FOL book sale. It is definitely an exercise in patience and what you save in money, you will lose in time. Having said that, I walked out with 5 books for $5 and not including my commute time, I was there searching in-store for 90 minutes. Since I plan to "gift" these books to my sister after I read them, it was worth it for me...but it's definitely much easier for me to go to the library where you will find the books organized by genre and author last name, which doesn't seem like an option at this location. If you have lots of time on your hands and don't mind crowds, this would be a great way to kill time browsing around for a few hours.

Mr C. D.

I have lived here a long time and never visited FOL. Went to the website and ordered childrens book from the BOB (bag of books). The selection was perfect for the Baba. It was easy, drive up, give your name, they bring out the books, drive away. I will be back. Thanks Friends. 👍

Klt4ever2

My husband and I arrived at this place at 6:30 in the morning I wanted to get books and board games and he wanted to get books. But the line was not our issue. Our issue is that we stood in that line for an hour before someone said “ if you’re going to get board games you have to get in the other line”. I went to the other line. When it was time to go in an hour and a half later, I went in and got the board games I wanted and was headed To go be with my husband in the book building. They told my husband that I could not be with him. So my husband asked to speak to whoever was in charge. The Woman who said she was the president told my husband that he had to talk to the employee who was letting people inside. He told my husband that I could not come in and that I would have to go back to the back of the line wrapped all the way around the building, after I had already waited from 6:30 AM until 9:00 AM to get into the board game room. I am 57 years old and have severe lung issues and severe bladder issues that cause me to bleeed internally so there was no way I could wait another couple hours in line. My husband explained to the guy that we had been there since 6:30 AM and that because they have separate buildings and the stuff I wanted was in another building I had no choice but to wait in the other line. And that we had just drove all the way from Tallahassee Fl. To get there. The guy flat out said “NO” I can’t come in. My husband who has severe heart issues just left the building without getting any books because he is a gentleman and did not want me to have to wait outside for him because he had just gotten inside and had just started looking. Apparently the woman who said she is the president In front of all those people can not as president make decisions, she obviously has to leave the decision making up to her employees who have no compassion whatsoever. What happened to us was completely wrong and uncalled for. So we left and my husband didn’t get a single book after driving all the way from Tallahassee Fl. We both had lower number tickets that they could plainly see were the numbers that they had already let in. There was no reason for this kind of treatment. We were treated like we were criminals that had stolen something from them. They had all the proof right in front of their eyes that we had been there since 6:30 AM because of the numbers on the tickets. This was uncalled for behavior and I would never ever treat them the way they treated my husband and I.

Shelley M.

One of my favorite Gainesville events. Bring a bag or several. "There's no ethical consumption under capitalism," but this is about as close as it gets. Buy more books than you can possibly read, let them sit around your house for a while, then donate them back to Friends of the Library. Ultimately, I see purchasing books from the FOL sale as more of a donation than anything, since I know many of my books will get re-donated to FOL later down the line, before a move or after a major belongings purge.

Amanda L.

First of all, you have to understand the FOL sale is only twice a year. Advice, don't go Saturday its crazy. I had better selection going on any other day when they first open. Lines are shorter and new books have been put out so there are choices. Most range from $0.25-$2 with some higher for collectors items.