Friends of the Park City Library will add another chapter to its annual Fourth of July book sale.
The event, which runs July 3 and 4 and raises money to supplement the library’s annual budget, will return to the library’s Community Room and Room 301, where it was last year, said Cathy Lanigan, Friends of the Park City Library co-president.
“It’s not just a fundraiser,” she said. “It’s a community gathering. The forecast for the Fourth is bright sunshine and heat. So it will be a nice opportunity to come in because Lucky Ones Coffee will be open and the library is air conditioned.”
Book sale hours on Thursday will start with a Friends of the Park City Library members-only preview at 8 a.m., and the public will be admitted at 10 a.m. until the sale closes at 4 p.m.
Friday’s hours for the public will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with a tote-bag happy hour, starting at 2 p.m., when shoppers can fill a provided tote bag for $15.
All children’s books will sell for $1, while all adult paperbacks will go for $2. Adult hardcovers are priced at $3, and there will be games and puzzles on sale for $2. And payment can be made with cash, Venmo or credit card for purchases totaling more than $10, said Rachel Sahlman, Friends of the Park City Library board member.
“All books, games and puzzles have been donated throughout the year,” she said. “We have a lot to offer, and it’s been hard to keep up with sorting the books, which is exciting.”
All children’s books, games and puzzles will be set up in room 301, and all of the nonfiction, table books and adult books will be sold in the community room, Lanigan said.
“We get the rooms ready on July 1, and then we have community volunteers move all the boxes of books from the storage room to the rooms upstairs,” she said. “Then we have different teams of volunteers set the books on the tables.”
The books will be divided into categories on the different tables, Sahlman said.
“That way it will be easier for you to find what you want,” she said.
Another way people can find what they want before it’s sold is to become a Friends of the Park City Library member, said Lanigan.
“We will be selling memberships at the sale,” she said. “So if someone wants to get early access on Thursday, all they need to do is buy a membership.”
While memberships come with perks such as early access to sales, invitations to special library and book events, they also make up a reliable and predictable source of funding for supplementing library programs and services, according to Sahlman.
“We think this year that is really important because funding can be inconsistent, especially during times of uncertainty when it comes to state and federal funding for libraries,” she said. “Memberships mean the library can count a little more on the dollars coming in for programs, especially those they want to offer but haven’t budgeted for.”
Some of the funds provided from the Friends of the Park City Library has helped with extending the collection of latest eBook and graphic novels, which significantly reduces the wait time to check out some of the most popular titles, Sahlman said.
Funding is also used to “enrich and expand community programming such as the Local Speaker Series, the One Book One Community event and local artists exhibit receptions,” she said.
Memberships have also helped the library connect with Park City’s Spanish-speaking constituency, according to Lanigan.
“There are two new big programs we invested in for children this year,” she said. “We were able to fund Spanish language versions of Playaway (audio books), and we have Spanish versions of Wonderbooks, which are basically iPads for children. These are available to our Spanish-speaking patrons, as well as community members who want to learn Spanish.”
In addition, Friends of the Park City Library funds have supported local residents’ and visitors’ productivity by helping fund the Business Center, the remote-meeting equipment and the 3D printer, which helped the library score a 98% approval rating on the National Community Survey, Sahlman said.
“People love this library, and they see it as the living room of Park City,” she said.
The book sale is also a way to clear up some misconceptions of Friends of the Park City Library memberships, Sahlman said.
“There is still some confusion out there because some people think that being a library card holder is the same as being a member of Friends of the Park City Library,” she said. “Yes, anyone can get a library card and anyone can become a Friends member. But a Friends membership is an added level of support. So, we’re trying to increase the awareness of what memberships are.”
Memberships and the book sale are two of the three ways Friends of the Park City Library raises funds, Lanigan said.
“The other is through Live PC Give PC, day of giving,” she said.
That event, facilitated by the Park City Community Foundation, takes place in November, and local residents and visitors can spend 24 hours donating money to the local nonprofit of their choice.
“These all help us help the library meet its needs,” Lanigan said. “Usage of the library is up, and as usage increases, the need for funding for more programming goes up. We hope people will come in on July 3 and 4 to find some interesting books and donate to a great cause.”
Friends of the Park City Library’s Used Book Sale
- When: July 3 and July 4; member preview runs from 8-10 a.m. July 3, and the public sale runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days.
- Where: Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave.
- Web: parkcitylibrary.org
- For information about Friends of the Park City Library memberships, visit
- tinyurl.com/3xf2sy2w