45th Anniversary Book Sale
Our 45th annual sale was held February 29th through March 3rd, 2024, in the SLO Veterans Building. After a four-year pandemic hiatus, this was the largest ever, featuring roughly 40,000 books, including a wide selection of adult, children’s and teen books, as well as DVDs and audio books.
Thank you to all our members for making it a success, providing roughly $17,000 to support SLO Library programs and collections.
To see the Tribune’s video of preparation for a past book sale, click here.
To watch the excitement of opening night at a book sale, click here.
Book Sale History
The first Book Sale was organized in March 1979 by Marjorie Johnson who was then the Assistant Library Director and was held in the lower floor of the Veterans Memorial Building, now home to the Veterans Museum. Since the room size limited patrons to 250 at a time, there were lines of patrons waiting for a chance to buy books at a price of 15 cents per inch. The first sale netted over $1700, and the success of that sale resulted in a move to the main hall in the Vets Building.
In preparation for the Sale, Marjorie secured space in a large warehouse on Kansas Avenue – formerly the laundry for Camp San Luis Obispo. For over 25 years Marjorie and her husband Richard led a team of volunteers who sorted and boxed books for the Sale. Many years later, volunteers still meet regularly to sort and box books.
Over the years Friends of the Library book sales have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Library.
The key to success of the book sale is the work of our volunteers. In addition to those working at the warehouse, dozens of volunteers turn out for the Sale itself. It’s a joyful event, and both volunteers and customers return year after year.
If you would like to volunteer for the Sale or if you would like to donate books for the Sale, please contact us using the appropriate email contact form.