The Spring Book Sale at the Weyburn Public Library proved to be a big win for the branch. The first day kicked-off with great enthusiasm, as eager book enthusiasts formed a line stretching halfway down the block, eagerly anticipating the opening of the doors. Book lovers and bookworms alike departed the sale laden with boxes of books. Branch Manager Dawn Silver offers further insights into the event's success. 

“It was amazing. I have to tell you yet one more time how completely thrilled I am with everyone's volunteerism in this community. We had help setting up, we had our volunteers that were literally amazing and we had our board members who were equally amazing, and a number of people who just generally volunteered came in, helped us get it already to go. And then we opened with a lineup outside. It was surprisingly stunning. It was halfway down the block.” 

Silver also mentioned that, despite a brief slowdown on Thursday afternoon, the three-day event remained bustling with activity. She expressed her appreciation for the volunteers who assisted in tidying up and packing away the remaining books, most of which were donated. 

“We had volunteers come in and help us clean up [and] sort the books. We sent some paperbacks to Blue Earth for their support of mental health, for their book sale. We're sending a few through our van delivery to Estevan for their upcoming book sale. We had a teacher who wanted a whole bunch of magazines for crafts. We've set aside some for our local care homes and some other concerns. So, we only have a few boxes of books to send the recycle.” 

The book sale last year generated $5100; a figure quite similar to this year's earnings of $5092.50. However, this year introduced a new addition: the silent art auction, which contributed just over $1000 to the total proceeds. 

Silver clarified that the funds raised will support the continuation of the library’s programming initiatives. 

“As you know, costs for almost everything that we use for our programming have gone up and this should cover the shortfall for our programming. We do an awful lot of food-oriented programming for teens, tweens, and junior members of the library, and for patrons and their parents. And so, we've seen those items that would have cost us maybe $25 for a program last year are now costing us nearly double that this year. So yeah, this is going to really help.” 

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