Friends of the Library book sale coming to the Payne County Fairgrounds March 17-20


Story provided by Stillwater Public Library

The Friends of the Stillwater Public Library are pleased to announce their spring used book sale Thursday, March 17, through Sunday, March 20. Thousands of used hardbacks, paperbacks, children’s books and videos will be available for purchase tax-free at the Friends’ largest book sale to date.

Friends’ board member, Saundra Mace, can’t wait to host the sale.

“We haven’t had a book sale for over two years,” Mace said. “We’re starting to run out of space to store all of the donated books! It’s a good problem to have.”

The sale will take place at the Payne County Fairgrounds, where more space means more books will be out for shoppers to peruse. The venue also allows more space for physical distancing. The Friends of the Library require that all shoppers, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask at the sale.

Hardbacks can be purchased for $1, paperbacks, DVDs and other media for 50 cents and children’s books for 25 cents. The Friends accept cash and checks only, and no sales tax is charged.

The sale begins with the “Members Only Preview” on Thursday, March 17, from 5-8 p.m. There is a $10 entry fee that attendees can pay at the door. Anyone who has already purchased a 2022 membership or is a lifetime Friends member will not be charged. Buyers at the preview sale will be limited to 100 items, including 50 children’s books.

The sale opens to the general public on Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19. No entry fee is required. Hours for the general public sale are Friday from 12-8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Friends wrap up the sale with the “$1 Bag Sale” on Sunday, March 20. Buyers can fill up an entire bag full of any books they like for $1. There is no limit to the number of bags that can be purchased.

“This is a great opportunity for people to stock up on books and support the Stillwater Public Library,” Mace said. “Proceeds from the sale go right back to the library, which they use to fund programs, including summer reading and to purchase materials like books, e-books and more.”

With a bigger sale, in a bigger location, the Friends of the Library will need more volunteers than they have in the past. Individuals or organizations that would like to volunteer at the sale, straightening books and helping shoppers load their material, should send the Friends a message on Facebook. Their Facebook page can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/stwlibfriends, or by searching the site for “Stillwater Public Library Friends.”

The Friends do not plan to cancel the sale due to changes in Stillwater’s COVID-19 situation. Details about the sale are available on the library’s website at http://library.stillwater.org.

The Stillwater Public Library is located at 1107 S. Duck St. Library hours are Monday- Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.