Due to the huge volume of book donations that the City of San Rafael Library is fortunate to receive, the Friends of the Library book sales have, in recent years, increased to roughly every two months. As a result, there is an increasing demand for more book sorting, more pricing, more selling, and more able-bodied volunteers, such as Pam Dixon and Karen Nielsen, who have been an integral part of Friends of the Library for a combined twenty years and are two people that Supervising Librarian, Kay Noguchi, calls the “Library’s Dynamic Book Sale Duo.”

Since becoming an active member of Friends of the Library in 1994, Pam transformed the organization with her professional leadership skills, her friendly manner and her willingness to work hard. She served two terms as president and twice as vice president, and has been co-chair of the Book Sale Committee for more than five years. With her dedication, energy and enthusiasm, Pam has significantly increased the Friends income through the sale of donated books. Sales translate into benefits for the library, including the self-checkout machine, $25,000  annually to purchase popular books for the library, and a modular building to house Friends of the Library activities. Sometimes four times a week but always on Monday and Friday mornings, Pam can be found either sorting book donations; meeting with dealers, staff or volunteers for special sales; or setting up for a book sale. In recognition of her tireless volunteer efforts on behalf of the Library, Pam was named San Rafael’s 2005 Citizen of the Year.

Karen Nielsen served as a Friends of the Library Board Member, book sorter, and book sales Assistant Chair before becoming the organization’s President a year ago. As a former journalist, Karen has contributed her valuable skills to the library with incredible dedication, and with her love for books and reading, she finds the sorting of old and unusual books an interesting and exciting experience. “Finding very old or unusual books is just as exciting as finding brand new ones in pristine condition, and children’s books can often evoke nostalgia for my daughter’s childhood or my own,” Karen wrote in the Friends of the Library Newsletter. In addition to spending many hours volunteering at the library, she also represents the Friends of the Library on the “One Book, One Marin” committee, a countywide effort to promote interest in libraries and reading.

The City of San Rafael salutes these two dedicated volunteers who have supported not only the San Rafael Public Library and its Friends of the Library book sales, but, through their ongoing efforts, have helped advance the premise that books and reading are enjoyable, fun and here to stay. So if you would like to join this dynamic volunteer duo with their upcoming book sales, sign on to volunteer at www.sanrafaelvolunteers.org.