When Jane McNeary came up with the idea of a giant donated book sale to help the cash-strapped library system, she hoped to get at least 15,000 books.

Guess again.

Those 15,000 came in just the first day of the three-week drive, with some people giving as many as 200 books.

Estimates have been revised, and it appears the Friends of the Library sale next week will offer double McNeary's projection.

Donations continue to be accepted, including an offer from the Cotswold Chick-Fil-A to give a free sandwich this week for donations of three or more books between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The book sale itself will start with a special preview April 28 and run through May 2 out of the former Blockbuster at Quail Corners Shopping Center.

Friends of the Library hopes to raise as much as $25,000, to help the library beef up programs and buy new books.

"I'm absolutely thrilled at the response," says McNeary. "We had almost no publicity for the book drive, so I wasn't expecting a lot. I had to eat crow, as people came in with bag loads of books."

Among the donors was Carin Seigfried of Charlotte, who gave 230 books. She bemoans the 50 percent cut in library hours that resulted from the budget crisis.

"Libraries are everything from a place for kids to stay out of trouble to a place for older folks to stay connected with the outside world," said Seigfried.

"I can't imagine a city like Charlotte losing library branches, but its happening and it's really depressing."

Among the cuts last year was the money to buy new books. The library's 2012 budget calls for the system to spent $1.7 million on books and materials, which is about a $2.5 million less than before the recession.

This marks the second time in two years that Friends of the Library has sponsored a sale to help buy new titles. Last year, the library itself donated books culled from closed branches. The event raised $50,000.

Some books left over from that sale will go back before buyers next week, officials said.

Jon Davis of Friends of the Library said he hopes elected officials making budget decisions take notice of the flood of donated books.

"This is an amazing reflection on how people feel about libraries," he said. "It's more than a place to house books. It's a house of ideas. There is no alternative to libraries."