Berks Book Bonanza returns
Donations of gently used books will be accepted at the mall
Berks Book Bonanza lives.
Friends of Berks County Libraries announced Tuesday that the omnibus used book sale will be held July 9-12 in the former Gap and Gap Kids stores at the Berkshire Mall.
Book Bonanza’s future was uncertain after last year’s sale. The event has raised more than $1 million over more than 30 years for Berks County libraries and the Reading Branch of American Association of University Women scholarship fund.
Vicki Steinberg, longtime director, retired. And, as has been the pattern in recent years, it was uncertain whether organizers could find a site for the sale.
“After the conclusion of last year’s sale, the Berks County fundraiser was without a home to collect and sort donations,” Friends of Berks County Libraries said in a news release. “Officials from the Berkshire Mall once again extended a helping hand to Book Bonanza for 2020.”
Joseph Nosti and Kala Gorman, mall management, offered the same store locations from 2019. The extra space in the former Gap and Gap Kids stores helped the sale raise nearly $68,000 last year.
Collections of gently used books and materials will begin Feb. 10 at the Berkshire Mall entrance next to Firehouse Subs.
Donations will be accepted Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m to noon. Beginning March 11, donations will be accepted Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.
Volunteers will assist donors with unloading vehicles during these times. Donations will be accepted through June 24.
A complete list of acceptable donations can be found on the Berks Book Bonanza website, www. berksbookbonanza.org.
For 2020, Book Bonanza will again offer the popular Thursday pre-sale opener for early-bird shoppers.
The holding area will be available Thursday for bulk shoppers to store items while they browse the sale, and enthusiasts can look through unique and hard-to-find local treasures in the collectibles area on all fours days.
The sale will also offer a wide range of books, DVDs, CDs, games, and puzzles.