Materials have been piling up for the Friends of the Library book sale this weekend. (Photo Courtesy Frank Buck)

By Chris Brown

Two years in the making

Stacks and stacks of books available at Friends of the Library sale

Jul 14, 2022 | 3:38 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Summer time calls for books, whether you’re reading them on the beach, during long car rides or at home on your deck.

The Medicine Hat Public Library can help you fill your reading list with the Friends of the Library book sale on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Gillian Reimer, the library’s head of marketing services, says the sale is typically a big fundraiser for the library and readers can find great deals.

“Anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 these sales will bring in for us and it’s crazy because the materials are very cheap,” she says. “You can get, you know, five kids’ books for a dollar. So we’re not asking a lot of money but just the volume that we put out really helps us.”

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The book sale hasn’t happened since 2019 as the Friends of the Library were leery during COVID of the typical large crowd the sale brings. So the library is sitting on two years’ worth of materials and stacks of boxes are starting to tip over in storage.

Reimer anticipates this will be the biggest sale yet.

“We’ve been getting asked a lot, ‘when is the next sale?’ I know our regular patrons have this date booked off in their calendar already so we think it’s going to be a busy one.”

The sale items are a mix of donations and items the library has taken off its shelves as new materials arrive.

Reimer suggested signing up for a library card while you’re at the sale. Cards are still free thanks to sponsorships from local businesses.