'Our books get another lease on life': Annual book sale returns to Waterloo

The latest chapter in a longstanding tradition has returned to Waterloo to the delight of book lovers across the region.

CFUW KW, formerly known as the Canadian Federation of University Women Kitchener-Waterloo, is hosting their 57th used book sale at First United Church at 16 William Street West.

The sale features books, DVDs, CDs, sheet music, and puzzles donated by members of the public and CFUW KW members.

“There are folks that we know that we keep seeing year over year. To see our books get another lease on life – realistically every book will end up in the dump at some stage, but these books are all getting one more turn through,” CFUW KW member Margaret Walker said on Friday. “Someone else gets to love them for maybe a year. Maybe they bring them back in a year or they may keep them for 10 years or more,”.

Walker said many people leave the sale with bags and boxes full of treasures, and despite the draw of e-books and other digital versions, she says there are still people who prefer the tactile experience of the real thing. She said some people even come searching for some hard to find books from their pasts.

“You get people who come looking for a book they remember from a parent or a grandparent, so older books. They come to replace cookbooks – The Joy of Cooking has become very popular, particularly through the pandemic – and they come looking for another copy or looking for a copy like their parents had.”

Proceeds from the sale are used to fund scholarships offered to more than 50 post secondary and graduating high school students each year.

The sale runs from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m .until 1 p.m. on Saturday.