The FC Library holds an auction every semester, usually six weeks before finals. The money gained from the auction goes to the library’s programs and helps support the funding for the Banned Books Essay Contest, Library Art Contest, and support clubs that the library helps. The latest auction ran from April 27 to May 20 and raised $200.
Faculty, staff and students are allowed to bid for the auction on a card corresponding to the item they wish to bid for, and could bid for the item as many times as they could within the timeframe that the auction is open for. The winner with the highest bid could pick up their winnings from the library front desk.
The first recorded silent action was in spring 2024 and was created by the Friends of Fullerton College Library Group, which disbanded during the pandemic. Some items that had been up for auction in the past include a copy of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series and a signed copy of Our Endangered Values by President Jimmy Carter, as stated by Anya Shyrokova, the Assessment Librarian for FC’s library.
The library currently has a variety of items up for auction that aren’t exclusively books and most come as a pair with an item or book that complements the item.
One of the many items up for auction was the cooking bundle, which included Julia Child’s “The Way To Cook” with a bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for those who want to try their hand at cooking after their winning bid.
They have a collection of Star Wars audiobooks, including “Star Wars: Red Harvest,” the prequel to the book “Star Wars: Deathtroopers” and “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2”, also a sequel to another book and game of the same name.
A duo of Egyptian books is up for action, being a combination of historical and Egyptian mythology, one being “The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day” and “Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Religion.”
Many other items were up for auction, such as a copy of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, “Baby University” by Chris Ferrie and a vinyl record bundle.
The silent Auction uses items that were donated to the library from the community and later assesses whether to keep it for the library for use or to be auctioned off during one of the silent auctions for the semester.
“For all item donations, we reserve the right to decide how to best use them. We may put donations up for auction; they may end up in our collection, or they may be part of another future fundraiser,” said Shyrokova
Items they look for are usually something that stands out, is unique, and something that may interest the community.
“We’ve learned from trial and error and conversations with our student workers that children’s books are particularly valued. We always try to have some children’s items in the auction for that reason. Books about art, books with unique binding, and brand-new box sets also attract attention,” said Shyrokova.
Many of the items up for auction, such as the “Tale of Two Cities,” are respected pieces of literature and “Baby University” focuses on baby-friendly learning, showing that the library diversifies the options for those looking to buy something for their collection or to find a way to support their campus library.
