Friends of the Library are selling old books in an effort to raise money for new books during the annual Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library book sale. A sale will also take place next week at the Poplarville branch of the library.

The ongoing Friends of the Library annual book sale is on track to match last year’s sale, said Friends of the Library Chair Linda Hanberry.

The Pearl River County Library System has no money in its budget to buy books, said Hanberry, so the annual book sale attempts to raise $5,000 for the purchase of new books. Any additional funds raised by this year’s book sale will be put toward refurbishing the bathrooms at the Picayune location, she said.

Thursday is half price day at the book sale, Friday is $1 a book, and on Saturday the volunteers will bring out the yardsticks to offer a foot of books for $1, said Pearl River County Library System Director Carol Phares. The dollar a foot sale is a great way for teachers to purchase magazines for their classrooms, Phares said.

The books in the sale come from donations to the library, Hanberry said. Any books the library needs are added to the inventory to be checked out by community members, she said. Any additional donated books are placed in the annual sale.

Previously, Friends of the Library has raised money to install automatic doors, refurbish the front desk, replace chairs and tables and refurbish the kitchen at the Picayune branch, Hanberry said.

“It’s all thanks to the community and volunteers,” Hanberry said. “We appreciate any donation, especially books.”

The Crosby Memorial Library is a 60-year old building, so there are many updates still on the list, she said.

The sale in Picayune will run through Saturday. The Poplarville Public Library’s annual book sale kicks off Saturday in Poplarville and runs through May 10.