DU’s “best kept secret” has been selling new, used and rare books for nearly 30 years

Remarkably, one of the best-kept secrets on campus seems to be the Stack of booksLocated in the heart of campus in the iconic Mary Reed building, The Stack offers more than 35,000 new, used and rare books for sale. And yet, says Barbara Anderson, the bookstore’s lead volunteer, “we seem to be the biggest unknown on campus. Students come in amazed to discover us.”

But not all who wander are lost. The Stack has a loyal following of neighbors, students, faculty, and bookstore volunteers who have found community among the shelves. Anderson says for many, the Book Stack is “our second home.”

It all began in 1932 when Mary Reed Hall was built as the University of Denver’s new library. Students called it “The Stack.” When Penrose Library was built in 1972, the Stack became a repository for donated new and used books sold at fundraisers organized by the Women’s Library Association (now the University Library Association). In 1997, the bookroom was converted into a store. Today, patrons can browse over 90 subject areas, including history, psychology, travel, foreign language titles, arts and crafts, and fiction. All proceeds benefit DU Libraries.

“We sell books so we can buy more,” says Anderson. “I like to think that donors give us books they no longer need so that other people can use and appreciate them, and the money raised can help buy more books for the library. We’re the perfect recycling initiative.”

Anderson has been volunteering at Book Stack since 2002. She came to Denver in 2001 with her husband, who was hired as head of DU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Anderson has already worked in school libraries and other nonprofits and found her niche at Stack.

Anderson tells more about the story and exciting anecdotes in this Q&A with the DU Newsroom.

How has the stack of books changed in the last 20 years?

When I first started working at the Book Stack, there were only the barest signs of real organization. Over the past two decades, we’ve worked hard to make the Book Stack more customer-friendly by organizing most areas and keeping them alphabetized. We were open Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday. Since reopening after the pandemic, we’re no longer able to open on Saturday, which was often our busiest day. We had a loyal base of customers who shopped every Saturday, some from the neighborhood, some serious book lovers, some with kids – who loved coming in and getting the cookies that were always available at the front desk.

Who are the volunteers who run the store?

Sandee Walling, the popular cashier who worked Saturdays and Wednesdays, represented a group of volunteers who had a close connection to the university. The volunteers included retired DU librarians, alumni, and faculty—our longest-serving volunteer, Bernie Spilka, a retired psychology professor, worked into his 90s. Bernie was the great objector to tighter organization at the Stack. He had worked in a used bookstore in New York in the early 1950s, where the philosophy was to keep everything in chaotic order because it would encourage customers to buy more books while browsing the books haphazardly on the shelves. Since he oversaw several departments—social sciences, natural sciences, math, religion, philosophy—customers came to him when they needed help and were often rewarded with one of his wonderful stories. We may be better organized now in the areas he once covered, but we all miss his knowledge, his endless stories and his dedication.

Many of our most loyal staff have had to leave us due to health issues or have died. The average age of volunteers was probably once 80. One of our long-serving staff members would come in, find a chair, grab a book to look at, and promptly fall asleep until someone asked for help. She, too, added to the atmosphere of the store—though she did have a memorable traffic accident when she tried to back out of the Chancellor’s parking space she had accidentally occupied and hit three cars in the parking lot.

Do you know any other funny stories?

Our customers have always been an interesting resource. We never know who will want what kind of book. I remember two older customers, at least in their 80s, who were looking for the expected craft books and then asked if we had any books about motorcycles because they were thinking of getting one. And how old was the person who happily bought all the Fifty Shades of Grey books? At least 85!

What is one of the most interesting books you have ever read?

I remember a book by Eleanor Roosevelt that she had signed and given to someone as a gift. We knew it would have some value because of the autograph and personal message, but the real treasure was the discovery of a handwritten thank you note inserted in the book, thanking the recipient for the lovely dinner Mrs. Roosevelt and the recipient had enjoyed together during Mrs. Roosevelt’s last visit to Denver.

How do you get your books?

Most of our books come from private donations, often from professors or administrators who are clearing out their offices after they retire, but many are donated by former students or the families of deceased students. We are so fascinated by the variety of books in each donation. We used to get hardback crime novels donated every year by a heavy smoker. We had to deodorize these books before we could put them on the shelves, but it was a miracle to get maybe 100 hardback crime novels, all printed the previous year, since most readers tended to buy paperbacks to satisfy their reading addiction.

The Book Stack is located on the first floor (Room 107B) of the Mary Reed Building and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.