CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County will have a one-time surplus book sale 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the former county extension office on Hill Drive.
The Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative — which represents six county libraries, including Fort Walton Beach, Niceville and Crestview — organized the sale.
“All of the books (and items) were from the bookmobile program,” cooperative coordinator Vicky Stever said. “For aficionados of used hardcover books, this will be the place to be.”
The office building previously stored titles for the bookmobile, which once traveled throughout Okaloosa until the county ended the program in 2011 due to budget cuts, Stever said.
The cooperative plans to sell thousands of titles for all ages.
“We have a large selection of large-print books for adults,” Stever said.
“They are going to be priced to sell … we are going to have some hardcover books as low as 50 cents,” she said.
The cooperative also will sell used VHS cassettes and DVDs, audio books on cassette and CD, and even wood shelving used to store the items.
Cash and checks are the only forms of payment accepted and all sales are final.
Proceeds will benefit the cooperative’s future library programs, some of which will pick up where the bookmobile left off, Stever said.
Still reaching out
The cooperative hopes a new library vending machine will help it still reach out to communities lacking easy library access.
“It’s like a Red Box, but instead of inserting a credit card, they will insert a library card,” Stever said.
In addition to books, the machine will offer DVD titles and audio books.
“There are actually several of them throughout Florida, but none in the Florida Panhandle.”
One machine is planned for installation next month in the Baker community near Baker Heritage Museum, Stever said.
In addition, the cooperative offers virtual offerings.
Tablets — like iPads or Nooks —laptops or smart phones can access library books and read them from anywhere if they have a library card.
The cooperative’s website, readokaloosa.org, features a digital library. Library members can read as many as five online book titles every two weeks.
“We want to reach to those in the community who may not have easy access to a public library,” Stever said.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Library co-op plans Saturday book sale and book vending machine