The Wisconsin Book Festival, put on by the Madison Public Library System, began its week long, city wide celebration on Thursday with a book sale at Memorial Library.
The event, which consists of book sales and free public author events, is a way to create a connection between readers and authors, Wisconsin Book Festival Director Conor Moran said.
Madison’s guaranteed income program begins cash assistance for low income families
One sponsor of the event— Friends of UW-Madison Libraries — hosts a sale at Memorial Library twice a year. The sale brings in $25,ooo for the library, though the books are only $2 to $3 each, Friends of UW-Madison Libraries administrator Libby Theune said. The funds are used for library events and scholarly grants.
The book sale is comprised of books and vinyls donated by faculty and community members, Theune said. Madison’s community is very well-educated, which is reflected by the many genres present at the book sale.
Theune said the goal of the Memorial Library sale is to connect the Madison community with books.
Food deserts in Wisconsin result in short term solutions, public health impacts
“‘Friends’ tries to bridge the community and academic libraries…,” Theune said.
The book sale hopes to bring people from all over the community into Memorial Library, Theune said, including those who have never been to the library. Partnering with the Wisconsin Book Festival helps bridge the community-campus gap.
Since the Madison Public Library and Foundation took over the event in 2013 from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, it has hosted over nine hundred speakers, including Pulitzer Prize winners Anthony Doerr, David Maraniss and Jane Smiley, according to the festival’s website.
Memorial Library is also hosting a free event at the Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium Saturday, where “Milked” author Ruth Conniff will be speaking.
Other events taking place during this weekend take place at Madison Central Library and include authors from various other genres.
All events are free and open to the public. Festival events will continue until Oct. 16.
