Scores Turn Out for the Laramie County Library Book Swap in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne, Wyoming: Scores of book lovers turned out for the first Laramie County Library book swap Thursday evening. As the sun set in Wyoming's capital city, people were already lined up in front of the library's Willow Room prior to the 5 p.m. start so they could do one-for-one exchanges with their unwanted books for others' unwanted books.

This book swap at the Laramie County Library was scheduled to run three hours until 8 p.m.. Coffee and hot chocolate were served.

The Book Swap at the Laramie County Library Included Books of All Kinds

When people clean out their attics, closets, and book shelves, then head for a book swap, it's potentially full of surprises. The first hour of this event saw people bring in a few to dozens of books as the volunteers on hand had a hard time keeping up with the first wave.

Anyone with more than 10 books counted them, and then gave them to a volunteer, who in turn gave out one ticket for each book turned in to deem for another selection. With that, the bibliophiles went around the tables set up to find the books they wanted. So many books came in that boxes were put under the tables. Adults and children alike dug through them hoping to find their desired treasures. The crowd was polite and orderly.

All kinds of books could be found (many were on the tables before the event began), including numerous fiction titles from authors like Stephen King and Danielle Steel. Other fiction subjects featured science fiction, horror, romance, etc.. One Harry Potter book on the table was quickly snapped up. As for non-fiction, there were many on the subject of business, self-help, religion, travel and even a book on how to get a divorce in Texas. The vast majority of books were in usable condition, though some book swap selections definitely showed their wear and tear.

I asked one Laramie County Library official about whether this would be a regular occurrence, and she commented, "This is an experiment."

It appears that this "experiment" worked, because many people turning in their books and looking for others could be heard expressing their strong approval for this book swap. Laramie County Library used to have an annual used book sale over a spring weekend where thousands of used books and other media could be bought.

And culminating on Sunday afternoon, special prices were offered for all one could stuff in a box or bag, costing $2-$5.

For more information about the activities at the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne, Wyoming, go to the website here