Updated as of 6:36 p.m. on March 17 to include video of the event.

Books are spilling off the shelves and into the bags and baskets of avid readers at this year’s spring book sale. The event is hosted in the basement of May Memorial Library in Downtown Burlington from March 8 through March 17. 

Burlington resident Kiera Swift visited the book sale for the second year in a row. She said the atmosphere was her favorite part about being at the event. 

“We all love to read and we all love cheaper prices,” Swift said. “This is just a vibe, like everybody loves the same thing here.”

The Friends of Alamance County Public Libraries is a nonprofit organization that hosts a book sale every fall and spring with the help of more than 50 volunteers. Board member Debbie Mann said the money from book sales funds all children and adult programs across all Alamance County Public Libraries.


All books for sale were donated to the non-profit organization by people in the community and put on the shelves by volunteers. Burlington native Lonnie Barnes said he worries about the decline of education in America, so he was happy to see people at the event buying books. 

“We've become such a technological society and a visual society that books are not quite as popular in the minds of many,” Barnes said. “But as you see today, apparently, books are not out. They’re still in.”

Former chair and board member of the book sale Linda Shirley has been a volunteer with Friends of Alamance County Libraries for 40 years. Shirley said the annual event has grown. 

“Our book sales started out on a sidewalk outside of K-mart,” Shirley said. “We felt fortunate that we made around $1200 and now we have seven rooms here in the bottom of May Memorial library.”

The spring and fall book sales made more than $60,000 in 2023. 

“It's just a wonderful thing that we can do with the money that we make,” Shirley said.

Books must be paid for with cash or check. Hardback cover books are $3, paperback books are $2 and children’s books are $1. To see book sale hours, visit the Downtown Burlington events website.