The Friends of the Library now hosts three used book sales each year — two in the fall and one in the spring — and will be setting up once again on Sept. 20 and 21 in the upstairs meeting room at the Public Library.
All of the reading materials in the sale have been either donated by the community or the library itself and will be priced to sell. Anne Warriner, member of the group, said the sale will have something that appeals to everyone’s interests.
“We have quite a selection of material, children's and adult as well as some audiovisual materials. And this time around we have lots of large print,” said Warriner. “And all the funds raised come back to the library eventually.”
Members of the Friends of the Library will have their inventory set up from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the 20th and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the 21st. They will also have memberships available to purchase — with all proceeds going directly back into the Moose Jaw Public Library.
Warriner encourages the community to stop in and see if there’s something interesting they’d like to take home, especially with donations continually coming in to make each sale different.
The Friends of the Library has been operating as a non-profit group since 1990, and works very closely with the library in numerous ways. In their 29 years of operations, the Friends of the Library has provided about $250,000 in support of library initiatives.
Children's librarian Tina Dolcetti described their support as “indispensable,” detailing a long list of ways the Friends help out with Llibrary programming — including purchasing the prizes for the summer reading program, donating books to give away through the literacy outreach program, and funding the annual film license that allows the library to show movies through the year.
“We actually had almost 700 children and youth sign up for summer prizes, so that speaks to the importance of generosity and funding things like our summer reading club,” said Dolcetti.
In the past, the group has also helped the library make additions to their collections — such as the first items for both the CD and DVD collection — and have provided initial funds for grant applications, furniture, and even the annual staff development day.
“In terms of funding the extras, that's what we do,” said Warriner. “The basics of the library service is funded through tax dollars, and we exist to enhance that.”
The most visible fundraisers the Friends do is their various sales, including the upcoming book sale which will return again on Nov. 15-16. Friends of the Library will also be hosting their annual jigsaw puzzle sale on Oct. 26.
In a new twist, the Friends have partnered with the Avid Knitter’s group for their upcoming jigsaw puzzle sale. Projects that the knitters and crocheters have been working on during their biweekly meetings will also be on sale.
Membership for the Friends of the Library is tax-deductible, said Warriner, and always available. There are brochures on the main floor of the Public Library, and payment can even be taken at the front desk.
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