For 50 years, the Friends of the LSU Libraries has held the Book Bazaar. Each spring, hundreds of people gather to search through swaths of books hoping to find new stories and hidden gems.
Volunteers have been working for the past week setting up, moving hundreds of boxes and leading books to their new homes. Tens of thousands of books across 60 genres now sit in the LSU Agricultural Coliseum.
“It’s the culmination of a year’s work every year that happens around this time, and it is going extremely well,” said Mitch Fontenot, an LSU librarian and core member of the Book Bazaar.
Hundreds of people show up in droves every year for the event.
“Because of this technological age, people still love books,” Fontenot said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the Friends of LSU Libraries — which is a labor of love, as far as I’m concerned — and they are great.”
The Friends of the LSU Libraries, or FOLL, was founded in 1962 with the mission of helping LSU librarians “in the development of the resources of the LSU Libraries.”
1976 was the first year the Book Bazaar was held. Its first location was the LSU Student Union. That sale made $500, which would be about $3,000 today. The next sale was held at the Bon Marché Mall, an old shopping center in Baton Rouge that is now closed.
Starting in 1979, volunteer Rosalind McKenzie created a manual to help future people understand the best way to run the sale. The Book Bazaar manual now lives in the LSU Special Collections.
As the years went on, the Book Bazaar grew and grew, becoming a tradition for both volunteers and attendees.
“I have watched first-time attendees; I’ve also watched people grow up,” said Fontenot. “I have seen children who are now college students here at LSU attend this over the past 10 years or so.”
Fontenot also talked about how the Book Bazaar even gets out-of-state visitors. Book dealers from all over the country come to check out the collectibles and hidden treasures sections. Every year, the Bazaar will have vintage, antique and special edition books from all over.
And for the students who love a deal, there are many textbooks selling for very cheap.
Year-round, the Friends of the LSU Libraries collects books at the Book Barn on River Road. For about 10 months of the year, the organization receives thousands of books in preparation for the next year’s sale.
The 25th Anniversary Sale took place in 2000, and around 70,000 books were sold. The Friends of the LSU Libraries raised over $71,000 that year. Over the past 50 years, the Book Bazaar has raised more than $2.75 million dollars for the LSU Libraries.
With the proceeds from the Book Bazaar, the FOLL has been able to purchase special pieces of art, literature and material goods for research and preservation. The Special Collections was able to buy the cash journal of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. A special edition of Chaucer’s works, which was published in 1896 with hand-painted art, and a dictionary that belonged to Abraham Lincoln.
The Friends of the LSU Libraries’ 50th Anniversary Book Bazaar starts Thursday at 9 a.m., and it will run until Saturday at 5 p.m. More information about the Book Bazaar, the Friends of the LSU Libraries and what the LSU libraries offer can be found on the LSU Libraries’ website.
