Books, a Baseball Hero, and a Piece of the Moon

What: Special Collection Book Fair, Moon Rock Exhibit, and Roberto Clemente Exhibit
Who: All ages
When: The book fair is Aug. 7th and exhibits are ongoing
Where: Main Library, Fort Lauderdale
How Much: Most books are $1 and exhibits are free

Tomorrow, the Fort Lauderdale Friends of the Library are having their monthly First Friday Special Collection Book Fair at the Main Branch. This is when they put out the best donated books. Most books are about $1. I went a couple of days ago (not on a book fair day) and bought myself Under the Tuscan Sun and Wuthering Heights. I spent $1.25. Total. Both copies are in perfect condition. Remember, they also have magazines, DVDs, children's books, etc.
If you visit the Main Branch, please don't forget to stop by the 6th floor. They currently have two great exhibits. The first is a little piece of the actual moon, donated by an astronaut's wife. It's pretty cool to think that you are looking at a particle that was previously floating in space. At the display, they have free materials for the kids to take home, like posters and stickers. The other exhibit is an Smithsonian traveling showcase on the life of Roberto Clemente, my favorite baseball player ever. He was a Puerto Rican humanitarian whose plane disappeared as he was on his way to donate goods to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. His life story is inspirational and, man, a great role model for kids today. Have the little ones go on this great bilingual website, to learn more about on my the coolest, sweetest men to ever play baseball.

Add the Library to your Friends List

What: Book Sales
Who: All Ages
When: Ongoing
Where: Some Broward County Library Branches
How Much: Usually less than $3 per book

We all know you can check out books at the library. Duh… But you may not know about these super cool people called Friends of the Library and all the bargains and resources they have to offer. Friends of the Library is a group of volunteers who sponsor book shops, book fairs, and programs for everyone at many local Broward County libraries. I love them because I can buy donated best-sellers in great condition for like $1 or $2. They also sell CD's, DVD's, audio tapes and magazines. I find incredible books for my sixth-grade classroom library and books for K., my nine-month old, at unbeatable prices. My local Friends of the Library has a little shopping area right by the entrance of the branch. It’s a pleasure browsing through the shelves of almost-new books that are conveniently organized by author’s last name. Just like at the bookstore, but at a fraction of the cost. Now, obviously, they don’t have the selection you will find at Borders. But, you can’t complain when you’re buying great books for a buck. The Friends at Main Library in Fort Lauderdale have something called First Friday Special Collection Fair. The first Friday of every month from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm, they put out the best books that have been donated that month and sell them at a discount. They have a great selection of children’s books. Friends of the Library have 32 local chapters. I know you’ll find one close to your house. West Regional, Weston, Coral Springs, Tamarac, and Dania Beach are just some locations. Now you can satisfy your inner bookworm even in an unforgiving economy.

Upcoming Book Fair
Saturday, July 18th, 11 am - 4 pm
Weston Branch sponsored by Weston Friends of the Library

P.S. I'm going to do some research about Miami-Dade County. They must have something like this.