MEET: Sandy Creighton, Board member and volunteer of the Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library bookstore, downtown Boca Raton Public Library
Q: Have long have you been volunteering with the Friends?
A: A long time . . . .My husband and I love to read. We used to buy used books at the library for $1.00. I saw an ad one day in the paper asking for volunteers to work at the bookstore. At that time, before we re-located to the former downtown library building, the bookstore was in a donated building on Palmetto Park Road. People could drive up and drop off books and we would separate them. It was not set up in an orderly fashion like our current store. Books by an author were just put in an area that began with his/her last name. Paperbacks were put on racks and put on the street selling for about 10 cents. Now our location at the new downtown library is heaven!!!!
Q: What's your favorite thing about volunteering at the bookstore?
A: I truly enjoy meeting new people every day. Most people who come into the bookstore are friendly and interested in what we do. It's fun to suggest a new author to someone, talk about that author's work, and then discuss the books when people come back to re-donate them. I am always amazed at how many people don't realize we have a bookstore at the library! Another one of my favorite things about volunteering at the bookstore is the friends I have made, those in the organization and our customers, many of whom will be my friends always!!!
Q: What are your favorite books that the bookstore sells and why?
A: I consider fiction to be my specialty. When we moved to the upstairs room at the former downtown library building, Joy Fishkind [Friends Board member, bookstore manager/volunteer coordinator] asked if I would be "in charge" of fiction. I keep an eye out for new books (published within the last couple of years). We try to showcase books that are being made into movies. This summer we have been holding $1.00 sales for authors who are popular. Some of my favorite authors are Dan Brown, Nelson DeMille, James Patterson, David Baldacci, John Sandford (my husband's favorite as well), Maeve Binchy and Stuart Woods. On occasion I branch out and read "what everyone else is reading" like The Help, Water for Elephants, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Q: What is something people might not know about you?
A: A lot of people might already know I keep a notebook of my favorite authors, because I bring it out every time someone comes in and says, "I can't remember if I read this!" I have the books my husband and I have read listed on my computer in alpha order by author and by title. About once a year I print the list, cut it out and paste it in a small notebook. Quite regularly we will get a book out of the library to read but we both don't usually finish reading it before it's due back to the library. With my list, I can check when that book comes into the bookstore and purchase it. Once both of us have read the book, we take it back to the bookstore for someone else to buy and enjoy.
Q: What do think is an underused feature of the library?
A: I think many people don't realize they can put a book on hold. I check Sunday's papers to see if any of my favorite authors have a new book out, then I go online and reserve it. I see a lot of traffic at the library, i.e., people reserving study rooms, using the computers (which I think is great), children of all ages and almost always a line at the desk checking out books. I wish more people knew about The Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library and our bookstore. We have so much to offer.
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