Come to find out, the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library staff have more than enough “friends” throughout the region.

Renita Barksdale, public library director, recently announced the facility is no longer accepting book donations for the upcoming Friends of the Library Book Sale due to the amount of support received by the community. The book sale is scheduled to take place Sept. 27-29 at the City of Elizabethton Recreation Center in the Blackbottom community. Book donations will resume following the sale. According to library staff, anyone who is still looking to donate new or gently books can do so during the first day of the event.

This month’s sale follows the footsteps of the April book sale that brought in a sizeable amount of traffic. Alta Barwick, Friends of the Library group member and sale committee chair, added that the group had some difficulty setting up in April just from the amount of items they had to sale.

Roughly a decade ago, the group decided to expand the book sale to twice a year in order to accommodate the support provided from the community.

“It was going strong before then,” Barwick recently told the Elizabethton Star. “We started about 10 years ago doing it twice a year. It just seemed like the thing to do. Every penny we get from the sale goes directly back to the library and covers costs of additional items the library may need.”

The Friends of the Library group is also looking to expand its numbers. Members work with the library to help with different projects like the book sale and other activities going on at the ECCPL. Volunteer opportunities to assist with the upcoming book sale are also available.

Barksdale said the group does an “amazing job” by supporting the library and that their support is appreciated. The director also encouraged those looking to support the library to assist with the group. Anyone interested can either stop by during the early book sale or visit the public library. The cost to join is $10.

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Along with the upcoming book sale, the public library also has a wide variety of events on the horizon.

Maryann Owen, public library staff member, will be presenting information on Wednesday, Sept. 12, from 2 to 3 p.m. about the Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) Council. Programs that will be discussed include Yellow Dot, File of Life, Elder Check, Project Lifesavers and House Numbering. The event is free and open to the public.

To learn more about upcoming events, visit the facility during regular business hours or call (423) 547-6360.