Following a successful spring book sale, the Lanier Library is accepting book donations for the upcoming sale in September. Always in demand are cook books, childrens books, gardening books and DVDs, but all books, both hard cover and paperback, are welcomed. A tax deduction form is available at the Library for all donations.

The Lanier Library is the oldest institution in Polk County and is not supported by taxes. It is one of only 16 membership libraries in the United States, a group which includes the Atheneums in Boston, Salem, Philadelphia, the New York Library Society, and the Charleston Library Society. Like these other institutions, the Lanier Library is supported by its members, grants, donations and occasional fundraisers.

For the benefit of both members and the community at large, the Lanier Library provides numerous free programs throughout the year, including monthly Brown Bag Lunch programs, which include presentations by well-known authors and occasional musical recitals; a special childrens summer show; and cultural presentations at the Tryon Fine Arts Center. It also sponsors the annual Sidney Lanier Award Poetry Competition for both adult and student poets, for which there is a top prize of $500.

The Lanier Library is located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Melrose Avenue in Tryon.&bsp; For more information visit the Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., or go to the website www.lanierlib.org.