When you collect and sort through thousands of donated books over a year like the Friends of the Cochrane Public Library does for its annual fundraising sale, you’re bound to end up with a few unusual items.
“One was a funky little love note, which was awesome to read … we have found funeral announcements, lots of bookmarks and receipts. People use receipts for bookmarks a lot. One of our member’s daughters found $50 or $100,” said Friends chairwoman Andrea Beck.
“Probably the coolest thing was a journal that we found. It didn’t have any identifying information … we kept it around for a long time not wanting to read it, but wishing it could go back to the owner. I read as little as I could to figure out who the owner was…
“It turned out the owner of the journal had recently passed away and we were able to return the journal to her mother. Her daughter had recently passed away from cancer in her 60s. It was just with a bunch of books and off it went into the donation bin.”
Those types of amazing stories are just one of the reasons the volunteer job for the nine members of the arms-length group is so rewarding: the main purpose of the Friends is to promote a love of reading and help raise money for projects that help create a community experience at the library.
The group’s flagship fundraiser is the annual upcoming Beyond Words book sale – which sells thousands of those donated books for $1 or $2 a pop and raises between $7,000 and $10,000 every year.
Initiatives like the recently-revealed maker space, the self-checkout kiosk and the colourful children’s mural have all been supported by proceeds from the sale.
“The basement just fills up until it’s overflowing,” Beck said, adding books are vetted for cleanliness and aging, then separated into categories like family, fiction, teen, humour and much more. “We’re bursting at the seams.”
This year’s Beyond Words book sale takes place at the Cochrane Public Library Railway Avenue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 3 and 12 to 5 p.m. on June 4.
To become a volunteer member of the Friends of the Public Library, contact [email protected].
