Second-Hand Prose

Book Store

In the first half-year of operation, Second-Hand Prose sold over 15,000 books and media, taking in nearly $20,000 including the sale of Collectors Corner items.  Over 100 volunteers work in the store each month for one or more three hour shifts.  Our three managers rotate the ‘manager on call’ assignment, to handle questions that may arise during store hours.  Sales continue to be strong.  In spite of the summer exodus from the Texas heat, July was our strongest month of sales to date.

The inventory stands at about 8,500 volumes.  The generous residents of the Georgetown community continue to donate their books.  We estimate that we received close to 28,000 books between January and July.  From these donations the library elected to take 2900 books to add to their collection.  If the library had purchased these books, the cost would have been greater than $30,000, using a very conservative price.  Phyllis Graves manages the inventory process, from taking in the donations, to sorting by category and eventually shelving the new additions, with the help of the volunteer workers in Second-Hand Prose.

When the shelves become over-crowded, we cull the oldest books to make way for new titles.  Peggy Busch manages this function. Many of the culled books are sent to an organization who sells them online for us, and we split the profits.  Books that they cannot sell are donated or recycled.  Some of our culled books are donated.  In July we donated 450 paperback fiction books to “Operation Care Drop”, which will be shipped to our troops overseas. 

Also in July we made our first donation to Fort Hood in Killeen, TX, delivering 250 fiction volumes that will be read by troops recovering from injuries, troops about to be shipped out, and military personnel who are hospitalized.  This is an ongoing program with monthly deliveries.

If you’d like to work in the store, stop by some day and check it out.  The volunteers will help you get in contact with Maggie Rice, Rebecca Payne or Necia Chessman, the store management team.

Collector's Corner

The Collector’s Corner contains our more valuable books. They are located in the corner behind the desk, and each one has a pink ticket with the price of the book.   Janet Thompson and her crew select books from the donations that they think may have a higher value, scan or look them up on the internet to determine their value, and then establish a price.  Currently the Collector’s Corner has more than 500 books.  Most of these books are also for sale online at www.abebooks.com.  If you’d like to see the books we have listed there, take a look at our online sales.

Janet is always interested in finding new team members who have good computer skills to help with selecting and pricing books for the Collector’s Corner.  She is also interested in finding a person to wrap and mail the books that are sold online.  If you’re interested, contact her a onlinebooks@folgeorgetown.com.

Book Donations

We will continue to need books to keep our shelves stocked.  If you would like to donate materials, look for the permanent donation bin just inside the door at the City Market in Sun City.  Or books can be turned in at the Circulation Desk or the drive-through Book Return at the Library. If you would like a receipt for your donation, please  drop them off at the Circulation Desk and request a receipt.

We accept paperbacks and hardbacks, fiction and non-fiction, children’s books, media books (tape or CD), movie videos, DVD’s, or CD’s.  We cannot accept magazines, encyclopedias, bibles, Harlequin or Silhouette romance novels, text books published more than five years ago, or Reader’s Digest Condensed books.

Book Bucks

Anyone who renews their membership or joins the Friends of the Georgetown Public Library as a new member receives a green “Book Bucks” card, valued at $5.00.  Book Bucks may be used toward purchases in Second-Hand Prose.

Store Hours

More than one hundred people volunteer to work at the store from one hour after the Library opens until one hour prior to the Library closing, each day.  For those two hours each day when we are not staffed,  purchases may be paid for at the Reference Desk right outside the entrance to Second-Hand Prose.  Second-Hand Prose hours are 10 AM – 7 PM Monday through Friday, 10 AM – 4 PM on Saturday, and 2 PM – 5 PM on Sunday.

Second-Hand Prose Volunteers 

If you would like to volunteer at Second-Hand Prose you may contact folvolunteers@folgeorgetown.com. Second-Hand Prose is a fund raiser for the Friends of the Georgetown Public Library and membership in the “Friends” is required in order to work in the store.  In addition the Friends of the Library have other volunteer opportunities.  You can get more information by selecting “volunteer opportunities” on the menu on this page.

What are those funny little stickers on the books in SHP?

We identify the month that a book was put on the shelves with these stickers.  When we run out of shelf space, we can identify the oldest books in our inventory which can be  removed to make room for newer titles.  We expect that books will remain on the shelves at least four months.  But it depends upon how many new books we receive as donations.

Photos of some of SHP volunteers