People in Oxford and the surrounding townships take reading seriously, and the days leading up to the Friends of the Lane Library’s annual Used Book Sale is a serious, and busy, time for dozens of volunteers.

The 2012 sale will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4 at Talawanda Middle School, located at 4030 Oxford-Reily Road (Ohio 732). The main event will be preceded by a members-only Friends sale, scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2.

Items available at the sale can include books (hardcover and paperback), books on tape or CD, VHS and DVD movies, board games, records, magazines, maps and sheet music.

Anyone who would like to make a donation of used books, movies, music or board games can bring them to the Oxford Lane Library during business hours. Donations will not be accepted at the middle school during the sale.

The books are bargain-priced; the Aug. 4 event, for instance, features a bag sale in which patrons can fill up a plastic bag for just $2.

Proceeds from the book sales go to support community-building and educational activities through the Oxford Lane Library, including author visits and children’s reading programs, and to enhance library facilities and collections, such as historical materials, just to name a few.

The volunteers who help the Friends of Oxford Lane Library donate thousands of dollars each year range from senior citiens to members of the Talawanda High School football and soccer programs to the “Little Friends,” children who sell homemade baked goods during the book sale and donate all proceeds to the library.

Friends of the Oxford Lane Library memberships can be purchased or renewed at the door of the members-only sale or at the Oxford Lane Library. Anyone interested in the library’s month activities can be notified by purchasing a Friends membership or by visiting the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/oxfordlibraryfriends.

For more information about the book sale, call (513) 894-6557.