Shop Friends Book Sales

The Friends holds up to five book sales a year. Typical sales involve a large room of individually priced "Better Books", the "Friends Room" where hardcover books are a $1.00 and softcover books are 50¢, and the "25¢ Area" where all books are 25¢. Proceeds are used to support Library programs, patron services, and staff initiatives.

Be a Volunteer

Volunteers are also needed to help publicize book sales by handing out flyers to businesses for them to display in their shop windows or by putting a sign in their front yard the week before a sale.

We also need volunteers who will help shelve books in the Friends Room that are received as donations.

Helping the Friends is a great way to earn service hours. Click the button below and let us know how you would like to volunteer.

Donate Books and Other Items

The Friends welcomes donations of books, movies, music, audio books, and games. Donations of these items make up the majority of items sold at Friends book sales and provide the primary source of revenue for the Friends. By donating, you are helping to support Library programs and initiatives and putting books, and other media, back into the community where these items can be enjoyed by others.

Before making a donation, please review the list of items we accept by clicking the button below. If you are not sure if the items you wish to donate are accepted by the Friends, click "Contact Us" at the top of this page and send us a message.

Main Library - Donations of multiple boxes or bags should be placed in the black bins (not on the floor) outside the Friends Room door. The Friends Room is located next to the elevator, on the Library lower level, just off of the parking garage.Only small donations (one bagful) should be brought into the Library and taken to the Registration or Circulation Desks. Please call the library in advance if you are donating a large number of boxes or bags so the Library can help accommodate the drop-off of these items.

South Branch – Donations are limited to a maximum of one shopping bag or box of comparable size due to lack of storage space. Please bring larger donations to the Main Library.

Shop Friends Book Shelves and Trolleys

Can’t wait until our next book sale? The Friends offers books and other items for purchase on an ongoing basis through our self-service bookshelves and trolleys. There are separate shelves for adult and children's books, DVDs, and books in Polish.

Find these on the first floor of the Library in the meeting room hallway, near the lobby (to your right as you enter the lobby through the front doors).

The shelves are restocked on a regular basis, so be sure to take a peek every time you visit the library. All Friends shelves will remain in this location until renovations are completed in August.

All items are individually priced, usually $3 or less. Prices are marked on the front page inside each book. Make a purchase by putting your payment in the lock box attached to the shelf. All proceeds support library programs and projects.

Follow Us Online & Share Posts

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and Nextdoor and encourage friends and family who live near the Library to do the same.

Help us get the word out about upcoming Friends book sales and other events by liking Friends social media posts and sharing them on your own page.

We rely on supporters to share our posts to reach the most people possible. This way we can give the money we raise to the Library instead of paying for social media advertising to get the word out about Friends events.

Make a Donation

The Friends are a 501(c)3 charitable organization so all donations are tax deductible. Click the button below to donate securely online.

Prefer to donate by check? Checks can be made payable to "Friends of the Mount Prospect Public Library." Leave your donation in a sealed envelope labeled "Friends" at the MPPL Information Desk or mail it to 10 S. Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, IL 60056.