After 58 years, Gainesville's Friends of the Library volunteers run their semi-annual book sales like clockwork.
But the events - which draw thousands of customers each year and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the county's library district - didn't always run so smoothly.
Before the volunteers secured their 15,000 square foot facility, the sales were held at empty grocery stores and open garages, where birds would "mark" the books, said Joan Curl, the group's president.
Until the 80s, the sales used to kick off on Wednesdays instead of Saturdays, limiting the number of customers who could shop, said Linda Connell, who has worked at 46 sales.
And only since the 1990s has the group begun to hold the events twice a year.
But after much trial and error, the volunteers have the book sale down to a science.
They spend hours upon hours sorting and pricing the books.
"We work all year round getting ready for the sales," Curl said. "There's no down time. It's a small army."
Saturday morning, as the volunteers launched their spring 2008 sale, 717 people poured into their warehouse within the first eight minutes of the sale, and by the end of the afternoon, the group had raised $83,479.05, a spring record.
For the volunteers, knowing they will donate that money to Alachua County libraries makes all the work worthwhile.
The money helps pay for a variety of events, including children's programs and guest speakers. It also funds partial scholarships for librarians to finish their higher education degrees.
"This district is the envy of the state because of the scholarship program," Curl said. "They love it."
She estimated more than 100 librarians have gone back to school thanks to the group. But the sales benefit more than just libraries.
Larry DiMatteo, who shopped both Saturday and Sunday, said the sale has become an annual trip for him and his 11-year-old son, Ian.
"This is a great way to build a family tradition," DiMatteo said.
