Book Fair Gets Off to a Rousing Start

A line of nearly 100 people were waiting outside the today and when the doors opened at 1 p.m., people swarmed in for the annual , held by the Friends of Oakton Library twice a year.

"The book fair has been spectacular so far. We have been open for 30 minutes and we are making lots and lots of money for the library," said Carol Dowd with Friends of Oakton Library. "We are usually very busy at the beginning because we have a lot of dealers from the area who come and think they are going to get a good deal, and they do."

Many of the dealers were using a scanning device on the thousands of books on display, which contained a database of book prices from Amazon, which lets the dealer know if a book is worth purchasing.

"I came to look for books that I could find cheap and sell for more," said dealer Paul Keenan of Fairfax. "It was very competitive with a lot of other people doing the same thing I am, but it was worthwhile over all."

Thousands of books are donated throughout the year to help raise funds for the library, and FOL members sort them into categories ranging from children to fiction to history.

The customers looked like kids in a candy store, racing from table to table, and room to room, finding and grabbing bags full of books to buy.

"This is one of my favorite times of year," said Oakton resident Ed Maniaci. "I am an avid reader and I enjoy having books in my own library at home. This is a great way to stock up."

Prices range from 25 cents for mass market paperbacks to $4 for books in the Premium Book Room, and there are plenty of offerings for everyone.

A tween section was very popular early on as "Harry Potter" books and "Twilight" hard covers were flying off the shelves. The children's section was also crowded with mothers and their kids rifling through the boxes and piling up books to own.

"I got a Barbie book and a Pocahontas book," said 5-year-old Linda Mitchell. "My mom said she would read them to me later."

The Friends of Oakton Library was founded in 2001 to assist community members in supporting the library's many programs and to develop community involvement in the library's preservation.

Since it opened in 2007, the FOL has continued to raise money through donations, annual dues and book sales at the library. But it is the bi-annual Used Book Sale that generates the bulk of much needed funds for Oakton's library.

The book fair will run all weekend during regular library hours.