When you think of Jazzfest, you probably think of these things: great music, great food, good times with friends old and new. You probably don't think of books.

Kathy Anderson/The Times-PicayuneThe Jazzfest book tent is sponsored by the New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association.

But for a dedicated group of New Orleans bookpeople, the Jazzfest Book Tent is an annual labor of love, a cooperative effort of the New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association members, who come together to sell books at the fest and donate the profits to literacy projects. This is the book tent's 23rd year.

It's Friday morning, the first day of the 2008 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell, and the tent is open for business at the Fair Grounds. But what would opening day be without a small glitch? Writer/bookseller Ted O'Brien has left the Garden District Book Shop for the day to be the team captain, and he's on the phone, calmly working out kinks with the credit card system.

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