What’s smart, cheap and good for the soul? A $2 book
Susan Hawke can’t wait to put books in the hands of readers — and dollars in the hands of students.
On October 7 and 8, at the 17th annual Concordia Used Book Fair, more than 1,000 books organized by subject — mysteries, biographies, sci-fi, cookbooks, children’s titles and more — will sold at bargain prices for the annual fundraiser..
“It’s a three-way win,” says Hawke, a librarian at Counselling and Development’s Career Resource Centre. She has been moonlighting as the book fair’s chief organizer since 2001.
“First, people who don’t like to throw out unwanted books have somewhere to take them. Second, every penny raised directly benefits students. Third, readers who want more bang for their buck have access to a wide selection of used books at great prices.”
Titles begin at $2 each; textbooks sell for $8. The proceeds are split between the Concordia Used Book Fair Scholarship and the Multi-Faith
Concordia’s Used Book Fair this year runs October 7 and 8. | Photo by Concordia University
Chaplaincy’s Student Emergency and Food Fund, which assists hundreds of students in need every year.
The popular event attracts nearly 1,000 people annually, including dealers from used bookstores Last year’s fair raised nearly $9,000; since its inception in 1996, the event has brought in more than $125,000.
“For those who want to stock up on winter reading, we have lots of history, biography and sci-fi books,” Hawke says.
“People also find letters, bookmarks and some amazing inscriptions inside the books. I remember one, to a young man named Charles on his birthday, dated 1939. I always wonder whatever happened to Charles — did he go to war? Did he survive? Who knows what treasures people might stumble on going through our books.”
The book fair is the brainchild of former Concordia staffer Barbara Barclay, who still helps out every year and brings cookies for the more than 70 volunteer who staff the event.
“We rely on volunteer support, with a core group who meet once a month to go through donations,” says Hawke. At the fair itself, they organize and sell several hundred boxes of books.
Books that aren’t sold are given away, many to charitable organizations like Librarians Without Borders and Books 2 Prisoners.
The 17th annual Concordia Used Book Fair runs October 7 and 8 in the atrium of the J.W. McConnell Building (LB), 1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.