For years the Friends of the Park City Library has hosted an annual used book sale around the Fourth of July, and the money raised helps supplement the library’s annual budget.

This year’s event, which runs July 4 and 5, will be a little different, said Cathy Lanigan, who is Friends of the Park City Library copresident with Ann Whitworth.

“We’re holding it in the library’s Community Room and in room 301, so the sale will take over the third floor, instead of being set up throughout the library’s entry,” Lanigan said.

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Although the Park City Library will be closed on July 4 for book checkouts, it will be open for the book sale, Lanigan said.

People will come in looking for a particular title, and it’s like we’re on a little adventure.” Rachel Sahlman, Friends of the Park City Library board member

“Lucky Ones Coffee will also be open, and we’ll be air conditioned,” she said. “So this will be a great time to get out of the heat.”

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Another change is the Friends of the Park City Library member preview, which gives members first dibs on the books, said Board Member Rachel Sahlman.

“We’re extending our member preview, and it will begin at 8 a.m. on July 4,” she said. “During the member preview, we will have a check-in table. And you can also buy a membership there and then. Or if you log on now and become a member, we will have your name on the list.”

Memberships start at $25, but there are other levels, Sahlman said.

“Some people do $500 annually,” she said. “The thing that is great about memberships is that it provides the Friends of the Park City Library with a dependable funding source,” she said.

Those funds go toward library programing, including Music on the Patio acoustic concerts during the summer, art exhibits and receptions, book club collections and seasonal toys and items that are available to the public, according to Laningan.

“We also are fundamental to sending library staff to continuing professional education conferences throughout the year,” she said. “While we are not the sole source of that funding, the library couldn’t do it without the Friends of the Park City Library support.”

The benefits of becoming a member include being notified of library events before the public, a free newsletter and invitations to pre-event receptions, Sahlman said.

The member preview will start two hours before the public sale hours, which will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both July 4 and July 5.

“Then we will have a ‘Bag Happy Hour’ on July 5 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. where people will be able to fill a provided tote bag for $15,” Sahlman said.

The sale will feature hundreds of books that span the literary gamut, according to Lanigan.

“We have an enormous amount of children’s books, which is wonderful,” she said. “We also have art books, coffee table books, fiction, nonfiction and foreign-language books for children and adults.”

The sale will also include games and puzzles, Sahlman said.

“All childrens books are $1, and adult paperbacks are $2, while adult hardcovers are $3,” she said. “We accept cash and Venmo, and we will take credit cards for purchases of $10 and more.”

All the books and games that are on sale have been donated by the public throughout the year, 

“They are stored in the back room, which we call the ‘bomb shelter,'” Lanigan said with a laugh. “We go through them and inspect and categorize them.”

An army of volunteers, composed of community members, helps move the books from the back room to the third floor, according to Lanigan.

“Then we have more volunteers who help us set up and work on the two-day sale,” she said. “Then it takes another team and another two days to clean things up.”

The book sale, like Friends of the Park City Library memberships, helps raise money that will benefit library programming, Lanigan said.

“The cost of doing business as a library is going up, so our ability to depend on a source of income is really important,” she said.

Sahlman and Lanigan enjoy hosting the book sale because they can interact with the community.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to get many people in one room together celebrating literacy and celebrating the library,” Lanigan said. “I love connecting with the community during these book sales. We have a phenomenal community who care and are intellectually curious.”

“I love talking with people and finding titles for them,” Sahlman said. “People will come in looking for a particular title, and it’s like we’re on a little adventure. It’s fun when people get excited when we find a title or an author that they have been looking for.”