It’s almost time for a book-lovers dream, the annual Times Colonist book drive.
The sale, run by the non-profit Times Colonist Literacy Society, kicks off this weekend with its book drop-off.
Books will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Victoria Curling Club at 1952 Quadra St.
Those dropping off books by vehicle will enter off Pembroke Street between Quadra and Blanshard streets. Drivers are being asked to avoid coming in off Caledonia as Victoria police need to use that lane.
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Map provided by the Times Colonist.
Mark Taylor, lead volunteer coordinator with the Times Colonist Literacy Society, says from there you follow the volunteers’ instructions.
“Just pretend like you are going on the ferry, we are all used to that, and my volunteers will lead you guys through,” Taylor said.
“We will have you park and once you’re parked don’t get out of your vehicle. My volunteers will take the books out of your vehicle for you and then we will send you on your merry little way.”
If you’re coming on foot or by bike, there will be bins set up beside the Quadra Street sidewalk to drop off books.
The society is looking for books from every genre, but stresses quality over quantity.
“Every year we tend to get cube vans of books, but the thing to remember is we don’t just need quantity, we need quality books,” he said.
“If we get books that are not in sellable condition, it actually ends up costing the charity and the society money to dispose of.”
The annual fundraiser started in 1998 with the goal of raising money for school libraries and literacy organizations across the Island.
The society has distributed almost $7 million since then, almost $300,000 of which was raised last year.
“That’s at $1 or $2 or $3 a book over those 27 years. So that’s a lot of books and a lot of money that has been raised by the community,” Taylor said.
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After the books are dropped off, hundreds of volunteers will organize them for avid readers to sift through.
“Every year I find some books here I didn’t even know existed. There are books that I never knew were out and here they are,” Dave Obee, editor and publisher for the Times Colonist, said.
The annual book sale will take place May 4 and 5.
Mackenzie Read
