The Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair has returned again this fall, the first time it holds two yearly sales in its 23-year-old history.
The Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair returned this fall with overflowing boxes of books. Students, teachers, and Montrealers alike were invited to browse the accumulated donations at the J.W. McConnell Building Atrium on Nov. 5 and 6, with an entrance fee of two dollars.
Over the last 23 years, the Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair has raised over $325,000 for student bursaries and emergency funds. Their successful sale in March 2024 set their new record for accumulated funds within one event at $43,635. Since the Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair is completely volunteer-driven, all proceeds made during the book sales go to students.
This year was the first time the organization decided to host two sales in a year. They did not have a specific monetary goal or objective for the fall event.
“The more, the better,” said Jeanne Bisson, the co-leader of the organization.
Recently retired after working for 17 years at Concordia, Bisson became co-leader alongside Luke Quin two years ago. She decided to become more involved in the Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair because of her love for books and because she believed in the resources provided by the organization.
Every book collected for the fair was received through donations, mostly made by the school’s staff and students. However, it is not rare for the Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair to receive large donations from other people in the Montreal community.
“People want to donate their books,” said Bisson. “They want to give them another life.”
The organization managed to gather an extensive collection ranging from sci-fi novels to artistic coffee-table books.
Both curation and fundraising were required to plan the event. Volunteers could either participate during the sorting process, during the event itself, or both. While the labour was intensive, the work was shared between the volunteers to make it more flexible.
“The flexibility was really important for me as an undergrad student,” said Juliana Andrea Rueda Castillo, an avid reader who has been volunteering for the organization since 2018.
Castillo is now doing her master’s at another school but still volunteers for the Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair. She decided to join the organization because she was looking for volunteering opportunities at Concordia and loved the laid-back atmosphere. While she could not participate in the book sorting this year, she still came to give a hand during the fundraiser.
The majority of volunteers are passionate about the Concordia EPIC Used Book Fair because of their love for literature. New volunteer Sean St-Laurent joined the organization after a friend invited her.
“It’s something that I’m happy to lend my time for,” St-Laurent said. She admitted to having purchased 10 books herself during the event.
The prices were reasonably cheap, enticing many book enthusiasts. Novels cost $3, while textbooks and artbooks began at $10.
