The AAFSW BookStore is where second hand books are sold at the State Department building in downtown DC. It is located in Foggy Bottom across from the Beauty/Barber Shop and near the garage doors. To find the BookStore, walk down the steps from the main cafeteria to Foggy Bottom. At the bottom of the steps, turn left and walk towards the former Bank of America. Turn left at the corridor. The BookStore will be on your left by the exit doors. State Department employees often browse and purchase books during the lunch hour.
Hours of Operation: We are currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am-2:30pm.
BookRoom is an essential work space for the BookStore and Art and BookFair (ABF) and is not open to the public. In the BookRoom books are processed for sale either in the BookStore or at the annual Art and BookFair. BookRoom is staffed by AAFSW’s BookRoom Operations Manager whose job it is to run the BookRoom and to pick up donations of books and art objects from all over the Washington area. The books (in the thousands) are then sorted, priced, shelved and then boxed up for later use with the assistance of volunteers. 
Volunteer your time and energy! Our volunteers have fun working together in the BookRoom prepping for the Art and BookFair and in the BookStore. We teach will train you in sorting, pricing, and boxing. AAFSW also needs
volunteers for ABF to handle publicity (posters, signs, layout maps), help with logistics, pick up donations, provide refreshments for the volunteers during ABF, or solicit contributions for the Art Corner and for the Collectors’ Corner.
Don’t wait to sign up to volunteer. We need 30-40 volunteers during the year and up to 100 during Art and BookFair.
And if you’re looking for something new to read, our BookRoom Manager, Martine, creates a monthly list of book recommendations that’s published in the Global Link newsletter. Martine provides recommendations in a variety of book genres including children’s books.
Here’s an example of one of Martine’s Must-Reads from February 2021:
1- Extraordinary Experiences:Tales of Special Needs Abroad: A Tales from a Small Planet by KATHI M. SILVA
Experiencing another culture is meant to be fun, adventurous and mind-opening. But what happens when you mix the joys of living or traveling abroad with the struggles of having a physical, intellectual, medical or other special need? Join our authors as they share their adventures abroad with unique challenges. This is not a “how-to” book, but a book of real-life stories, where you will find inspiration, guidance and insights from ordinary people who have made extraordinary adjustments to their experiences far from home.
A very interesting book recommended by AAFSW President Lara Center.
Members can access the full archive of Martine’s Must-Reads here .
Contact the BookRoom/Bookstore Operations Manager below for more information or to volunteer!
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