With more than 100,000 titles to choose from, the Spring Book Sale at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt., is an event that book enthusiasts won’t want to miss.

The annual sale is a fund-raiser for the Friends of the Lawrence Public Library. The not-for-profit organization has supported the collections and services of the Lawrence Public Library since 1972.

Throughout the year, volunteers from the Friends organization spend hours sorting and organizing the donations as they come in. This collection is kept in the basement of the library until the garage is opened and the sale begins.

“The donations come from a variety of places,” explains Sandra Wiechert, community relations coordinator and reference assistant at the Lawrence Public Library.

A portion of the books comes from the donations box inside the library, while others come from local professors, residents and Kansas University students.

“Most of our beautiful books come from estates and some people buy books for the sole purpose of reading it once and donating it,” she said.

Wiechert is especially excited about this year’s sale because romance novels and coffeetable books will be featured inside the library gallery.

Steve Ballew, a Lawrence resident and self-proclaimed bibliophile, hasn’t missed the event in seven years. He is a collector of fantasy and science fiction.

“The best genre stuff gets snatched up in the first 10 minutes of Member’s Night,” he said.

That doesn’t stop Ballew from returning to the sale two or three times throughout the week, because the volunteers are constantly restocking the tables and shelves. Ballew warns that many people line up an hour to an hour and a half before the sale begins, and oftentimes the line stretches to Eighth Street.

“You can find great titles at incredibly cheap prices,” he said.

Ballew usually takes home 35-40 books for about $25. Last year at the sale he overheard a conversation in which a man admitted that his house was so full of books that he was forced to start building bookshelves on his screened-in porch.

Traditionally, the sale is held the first week of October. But in recent years the level of donations has increased so much that an additional sale in the spring has been introduced as the need exists.

“We simply don’t have the space to store all of the materials we receive,” said Maria Butler, administrative assistant for the Lawrence Public Library.

The sale will take place on the west side of the library at Seventh and Kentucky street. Butler emphasized that only 75 people will be allowed in the garage at one time and, because space is limited, strollers will not be permitted. She also encouraged people with disabilities to come from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. today so they won’t have to contend with the crowd.

This event kicks off with a special Member’s Night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. today and will continue through April 13. For specific times and special events associated with the sale, contact the Lawrence Public Library at 843-3833.

 Kellie Smith-Herrod is a student at Baker University in Baldwin.