Friends of the Whittier Public Library — Attraction in Whittier

"What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore, it knows it's not foolin' a soul." —Neil Gaiman

The FOTWL Bookstore is a place for bibliphiles who also like serendipity: because this is a nonprofit store whose stock is composed of donations, the inventory changes regularly, so if you're looking for a specific title or edition, keep this in mind. On the other hand, folks looking for a specfic author or books about a particular subject and who are willing to spend some time browsing through the treasures will likely be rewarded.

And "treasures" is the right word: I have often purchased books in "very good" or "as new" condition here for a buck or two. I generally round up my total amount due—and also donate my secondhand books whenever I can—because I know the Friends' nonprofit mission: "to support and advocate for the Whittier Public Library. ... by selling books, music, and movies ..." For many years now, these hard-working, community-minded volunteers have raised tens of thousands of dollars anually in support of the Whittier Public Library, which translates into resources and services for the people of our town.

Bottom line: If you like good books for inexpensive prices, are seeking a good place to which to donate your secondhand books, and support your local public library, then make sure to get over to the Friends of the Whittier Library...

I was excited to finally stop by this bookstore. This is a used bookstore and volunteer run. They have a lot of books, records, and magazines with prices in the range of $2-$5 with some older/ newer books fetching some of the higher prices.

I wanted to like this bookstore but one of the things that I didn't care for was that a majority of the volunteers were not wearing a face mask while indoors. As someone that has been working in the front lines getting people vaccinated, I did not appreciate the disregard of the LA County order. It was also a bit old that as I was browsing, one of the volunteers without a mask was stocking shelves right above my head over and over while I was still looking. Very distracting and after the third time I left the aisle.

Another thing to note is that a lot of the books are outdated (older texts, published in the 90s, etc). I think this is your best bet to find any required reading for school and the top 10 bestseller books that may end up in the new arrivals section.

Overall, it's a good bookstore to browse but at the very least for your sake, you should...

I came here today to donate books, which I thought was a beautiful thing to do. I noticed there was a sign asking for volunteers. I thought maybe I’d ask after I donate. I go in, talk to a very nice older woman. She tells me Ron is the one who deals with donations. She leads the way. This man acts bothered as he meets my eyes. Annoyed as he speaks quickly, I am hard of hearing and say, “I’m sorry?” “Bags or boxes?!” He screams with a roll of his eyes. I simply say bags, already a little scared if I say anything he won’t accept my donations. He says, “how many?” Still rolling his eyes. “I don’t know.” I don’t. There can be 40 books, 50 I haven’t counted. This man throws his arms up as if I gave him hours of work to do. I didn’t know me doing a good deed would be so annoying to a volunteer. I didn’t bother asking if I can volunteer, which would be a good act, simply because I don’t want to be near someone like that. How bothered could someone be by a volunteer position?! If he has to be there by law, don’t take it out on people who actually are trying to do good...