In Alliance, August means Carnations and the annual Used Book Sale.
The sale, which runs in conjunction with the Greater Alliance Carnation Festival, will run from Saturday, August 1 through Wednesday, August 5.
And this year, the sale returns to Rodman Public Library.
More than 10,000 items are available for sale, including books, paperbacks, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, magazines and some puzzles and board games. More than 75 percent of the items are donated and 80 percent is nonfiction in many popular categories, including history, biography, science, cooking, crafts, travel, religion, art, photography, business and much more. Also, a large variety of children’s books will be available.
Sale materials will be located in Rodman Library’s auditorium, gallery, and children’s program room.
Full library service will continue throughout the remainder of the library on all days of the sale with the exception of Sunday, when only areas pertaining to the used book sale will be accessible. No library services will be offered that day.
With the return to the library, there is some adjustments to sale hours in 2026 to better match the operating hours of the library.
With the exception of Sunday, the sale will begin at 10 a.m. each day, coinciding with the opening of the library. Meanwhile, the sale will end a half an hour prior to the close of the library on normal business days, which will be 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, which is a members only day, and 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Hours on Sunday will be 1 to 5 p.m.
As usual, memberships will be sold at the door on Saturday and those wishing to buy materials that day will have to renew their membership for the year, if they haven’t already done so.
The Friends have announced that all proceeds from the 2026 sale will be donated to the Bookmobile fund.
Prices for the sale remain the same.
Hardback books are $1 each and paperbacks are 50 cents each. Children’s books are 25 cents each or 5 for $1. Magazines are 10 cents each, or 12 for $1. Books on CD are $3 per box; CDs and DVDs are $1 per disc; and vinyl records are 25 cents per disc.
All day Wednesday, buyers will pay by donation.
Various baskets will also be raffled again in 2026. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5.
Back again this year are Christmas gift tags for $1 per pack to go along with Christmas postcards, which come in a pack of 20 for $2. A 20-pack of cards with envelopes will also be available for $3.
Also, a sizable selection of collectible books are for sale, a list of which is available at rodmanlibrary.com/collectibles.