Photo by Aysia Lane
Skillman Southwestern Library Friends, a nonprofit organization, is hosting a Books & More Sale next week.
What does “Books & More” mean? The 6,000-plus donated and gently-used sale items include magazines, music, movies, games, puzzles, cards and of course, books — fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, coffee table books, collectible books and text books. Most of these things can be bought for $2 or less, according to an email from Sue Ramirez, Skillman Southwestern Library Friends book sale chairperson and past president.
The general public can attend the sale from Wednesday, Aug. 6 to Saturday, Aug. 9 — from noon to 7:45 p.m. Aug. 6-7, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Aug. 8, and 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Aug. 9. Shoppers can get items for half the price on Friday and Saturday, and participate in the $8 bag sale on Saturday.
For Skillman Southwestern Library Friends members, the book sale will start a day early, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Friends groups, including the one for Skillman Southwestern Branch Library, raise money to support libraries beyond what the City can provide.
“At Skillman alone, we raised and spent on the library about $138,000 since 2008,” Ramirez said.
That money has been able to pay for a lot, including programming, activities and workshops for children, teens and adults as well as supplies, equipment and furniture for the library and its events, according to a breakdown of the contributions provided by Ramirez. Repairs and improvements, like reupholstering library chairs and repainting the entryway and restrooms, were also able to be made with these funds.
Last year’s proposed City budget threatened to close Skillman Southwestern Branch Library. Supporters organized, and the library was able to stick around for another year with reduced hours and staff, Ramirez said.
Time will tell how the library fares in the City’s 2025-26 budget, which has to be presented to City Council no later than Aug. 15 and must be adopted by Sept. 30, according to the City’s website.
The news about the library potentially closing last year affected the Friends’ membership, as members were not asked to sign up for another year, Ramirez said. But the book sale still went on as planned last year, which is sometimes attended by people from all over Texas and other states like Oklahoma and Louisiana. The sale usually raises between about $4,000 and $6,000, and if the library had closed, that money would have been donated to other library branches or other library friends groups.
Skillman Southwestern Library Friends group has about 132 members, Ramirez said. People can join for as low as $10 for individuals (or $5 for students and seniors) and $20 for families. The annual dues tiers also include levels from $50 to $1,000 for those who are able to give more. Membership forms are available at the library.
Skillman Southwestern Branch Library is located at 5707 Skillman St., south of Northwest Highway.
