Over the course of the past year, a force of 400 volunteers gathered over 40,000 used books, textbooks, audio books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, a sheet music collection, Broadway playbills and a “perfect replica of a samurai castle,” says Laura Cottam Sajbel, the publicity and marketing chair for the Friends of Eugene Public Library. All of this is crammed into the Lane County Events Center Performance Hall for theFriends of Eugene Public Library’s annual giant book sale. On top of the gargantuan scale, almost everything for sale is $2, with some “good as new” books and collector’s items priced a little higher. And, all the proceeds support the Eugene Public Library. Take that, Powell’s. With bargains galore, readers, treasure hunters and cheapskates alike are expected to show up in droves. In 2025, around 7,000 people attended, according to Cottam Sajbel. This year, there are 10,000 more books, so it may get crowded. Cottam Sajbel says it’s a good idea to come before the doors open, even just to feel the energy. “A lot of people line up pretty early, and there’s a pretty long line,” Cottam Sajbel says. “If you come later in the afternoon, it’s not quite as frenzied. You know, the morning is just electric.” These books come with the financial commitment of less than the price of a mediocre cup of coffee, so whether you are a veteran reader or have been illiterate since the introduction of the smartphone, now is the time to get excited and get reading.

The Friends of Eugene Public Library Giant Book Sale is 9 am to 4 pm Saturday, April 11, and 10 am to 3 pm Sunday, April 12, at the Lane County Events Center Performance Hall, 796 West 13th Avenue. For more information visit FriendsEugeneLibrary.org.