Saturday
June 14
10 am - 4 pm
Main Room opens at 11 am

Sunday
June 15
1 pm - 4 pm

Featured topics for June:

4000 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto
Northwest corner of the Cubberley Community Center

Map
More information on the sales
Donate your old books
 
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO HELP PALO ALTO LIBRARIES

Main Book Room Sale
In our Main Room, prices are way below what used book stores charge. Paperbacks are 50 cents and up, and hardcovers are $1 and up.  Numbered tickets for the Main Room are given out beginning at 8 am on Saturday.  These reserve your place in the line that forms before the 11 am opening.  You may pick up a ticket for yourself and for one other person.
 
Children's Books in K6
Room K6 in the K wing (see map) is entirely filled with children's books and toys.  You'll find picture books, school age fiction, award winners, non-English titles, and books for parents and teachers, many for under $1.  This room and the Bargain Room open at 10 am on Saturday.
 
Bargain Books in K7
Next door in K7 is the Bargain Room, where paperbacks are 50 cents, hardcovers are $1, and children's books are just 25 cents each.  The room also contains many LP records and 78s at $1 each.  All items are half off after 12:30 pm on Saturday and all day on Sunday.  On Sunday, you can also buy grocery bags in the Bargain Room for $5 and fill them with books.

Non-profit organizations and schools that need free books should come to the Bargain Room this month from 4 to 6 pm on Sunday, June 15.  Please bring grocery bags to put books into.  More information.

Don't worry - that's just the name of one series of remarkable comic books recently donated to us.  Dating from the 1970s through 2004, other series include Team 7, Stryke Force, Ghost Rider, Morbius, Deathblow, Darkhold, Grifter, Extreme Sacrifice, and Bloodstrike.  The collection also includes Disney comic books and dozens of others titles.  Most will be priced at just $1 and many are already in plastic protective envelopes.  Look for these in the Main Room on the south wall across from the cashiers.

Be sure to look at our shelf preview pictures from our Main Room for an advance peek at some of the tens of thousands of interesting books available at this weekend's sale.

Artist's view of the proposed Downtown Library upgrades

The public has another chance to see plans and ask questions about the proposed library and community center changes at a 7 pm meeting tonight, Wednesday, June 11 at the Downtown Library at 270 Forest Avenue.  The plans include updating the Downtown Library by consolidating and redecorating its public space (see picture on left), moving out some backroom staff, and making part of the library available for holding events.  The project would also remodel and expand the Main Library and replace the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center with a combined facility approximately 2.5 times larger.  Tonight's meeting is sponsored by the University South Neighborhood Association.
 
A poll in early 2007 found that fewer than the necessary 2/3 of likely voters would approve a $45 million library measure.  In the ensuing year, the project's estimated cost has risen to $77 million, plus additional funds are needed to acquire new library materials for the enlarged collection space at Mitchell Park.  The city is mailing out information about the projects and conducting a second scientific poll of residents beginning later this week to assess voter interest.  Results of that poll are expected to be discussed at a City Council meeting on July 7 at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue used to decided within a few weeks the exact content of the ballot measure.  The Council is then expected to discuss the proposed bond measure on July 21 and finalize it on August 4, all in time for the November 2008 ballot.
 
The $77 million projected price tag reflects savings suggested by local construction experts.  As presented to the City Council on May 19, they recommended reducing the $11.7 million budgeted for project development, which includes permits and inspections, thereby shaving costs by $3.4 million after inflation.  See recent articles about the costs (Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Daily News), tonight's meeting, and the informational mailings, the city's project website, and our quick views of the proposed designs.

Our Children's Room has new colorful and spacious shelves, thanks to a very kind donation from Books Inc. of Palo Alto.  The bookstore recently moved from the Stanford Shopping Center to Town and Country Village and brought over their extra shelves, which are a wonderful and much-welcomed improvement in the Children's Room. 

Enjoy reading what's on newsstands around the world with a new library service that shows you the latest issues of over 650 major international newspapers from Albania to Zimbabwe.  It's almost like having the actual newspaper in your hands, as you can turn each page and zoom in to read any story in that country's language.  Funded by a grant from the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, the Library PressDisplay service includes 97 US newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Washington Post.  Use PressDisplay for free at home or the office at any time by just entering your Palo Alto Library card number.  Note that this service is different from visiting a newspaper's website, in that it does not provide up-to-the-minute news nor English translations.

 
College Terrace Branch Improvements Pushed Back

Concerns over historic preservation have moved the likely date for seismic, electrical, and other improvements to the College Terrace Library to April or May of 2009.  The work was supposed to begin this year but supports to strengthen the building against earthquakes will likely visually impact the interior, necessitating further review.  Once underway, the project is expected to take at least a year, during which the adjoining childcare facility will operate out of temporary facilities while the library branch will be closed.

 
Library Closed Friday, July 4

Palo Alto's libraries will be closed on Friday, July 4 for the Independence Day holiday.  Even when the libraries are closed, you can still search the online catalog, submit reference desk questions, access many online resources, and get book recommendations.