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Sale revives popularity of books

A Black Diamond librarian has proof books are not a thing of the past.
Oilfields High School student Elise Denning carries books that will be available for sale in the school’ s annual book sale April 29 and 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Oilfields High School student Elise Denning carries books that will be available for sale in the school’ s annual book sale April 29 and 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

A Black Diamond librarian has proof books are not a thing of the past.

The success of the Oilfields High School’s sale of used and damaged books last year has library technician Nadine Russell expecting a frenzy of activity at this year’s event on April 29 and 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the school’s learning commons.

“We got close to 100 people come in,” she said of last year’s book sale. “People still love reading books. I don’t think it’s ever going to disappear.”

Books may seem to have a taken a back seat to electronics, like Kobo eReaders and the Internet, but Russell said youths are still checking out the paper varieties.

“We still see 50 or 60 kids in grades 10 to 12 borrowing regularly,” she said. “It’s not as high as you would hope in the dream world to have, but I think it’s high enough that those who don’t read may pick them up. It’s not going to be a lost art, it’s something we have to keep reminding kids it’s more information than texting or watching Netflix.”

Books will never get old for Elise Denning.

The Oilfields High School Grade 12 student checks books out at her school library at least once a month and reads them daily.

“It’s a sense of tradition,” she said. “There is not like a large majority of the school population that goes and checks out books, but there are a few of us that are in there frequently.”

Denning bought a box full of books at last year’s book sale and plans to return this month for more.

“I get excited about it because I’m like, ‘I want that book’ and then I get to take it home and have it,” she said.

When Russell was tasked to weed out books that were in poor condition, scientifically inaccurate and outdated in the junior and senior high school last year, she decided to hold the book sale.

She put out requests to C. Ian McLaren School librarian Sean Sarjeant and residents to collect more unwanted books for a sale.

“We got a bunch of boxes of Archie comics and other books coming in from the public,” she said. “The amount of kids that bought books to take home was so impressive. Kids will still buy a book that’s ripped in half if they want to read it.”

Sarjeant said last year’s sale provided an assortment of genres and she was impressed by the crowd, yet not surprised to see young readers browsing the selections.

“Plenty of the kids in my school check out books pretty regularly,” he said. “Kids are picking up books all the time.”

Like his students, Sarjeant also prefers the paper version.

“Tons of people say you can throw something on the eReader and take it anywhere, which is true, but I enjoy having a stack of books on the side of my bed,” he said. “I find it a real motivator to start reading.”

Russell said last year’s book sale raised $725 toward the purchase of new books for the library. This year’s books will be sold for $1, double last year’s price.

“I made a quarter of what my annual budget is for books,” she said. “This gave me extra money to replace a lot of books that have been lost or damaged.”

Books not sold will be donated to communities and school libraries in Africa and the Greater Edmonton Library Association for men and women in prison, said Russell.

Books for this year’s sale will be collected from the public and schools across the Foothills School Division. Donations can be dropped off at Oilfields High School or arrangements for pick ups can be made by calling 403-938-4973.

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