Friends of the Los Altos Library recently held a record-breaking used-book sale at Hillview Center, raising $22,600 in support of local libraries.

Every week Friends volunteers gather to sort, clean, price and store new books donated by the community. Sales are held four times a year, and a Friday night sale is reserved for members of Friends of the Los Altos Library.

In addition to financial support provided to local libraries, Friends also donates books to other community groups, including the Salvation Army, Vision Literacy, Friends Outside (which serves the incarcerated), the Rotary Club, Community Services Agency of Mountain View, the Palo Alto VA Hospital and Rehabilitation Center and the Mountain View Support Network for Battered Women. Last month the group sent books to the Houston Astrodome for children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

To join Friends of the Los Altos Library, pick up an application at either Los Altos library or send $10 to Friends of the Los Altos Library, P.O. Box 212, Los Altos 94023-0212. The $10 fee entitles members to newsletters, dates of the sales, early-entry tickets and an annual potluck.