If you’re a book lover with a small budget, you’re in luck this week.

The Friends of Cherokee County Libraries is hosting a used book sale at R.T. Jones Memorial Library Thursday through Saturday.

Hours for the sale are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. A preview sale for Friends of the Library members is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday. The sale will be in the library’s meeting room.

Each Cherokee County library branch holds one used book sale every year.

“People feel like they’re helping their own library,” Marilyn Van Note, organizer of the R.T. Jones sale, said. “We used to do it once a year, but we’ve found we make twice as much money this way.”

That money is used to buy library materials like books and audiobooks.

“It’s very important for our materials,” said Chuck Anderson, public relations manager for Sequoyah Regional Library System. “For children’s books, Friends is really the only game in town.” Since children’s books don’t last as long as adult books, some of the library’s other funds can’t be used for children’s books.

Most of the books sold are donated, and a small percentage come from the libraries themselves.

“You never know what you’re going to get. It’s kind of surprising,” Van Note said. The sales usually offer a large number of fiction titles.

Prices range from 10 cents to $3, with most books priced from 50 cents to $1.

Over the year, the book sales can bring in as much as $10,000 for the libraries.

“With the library funds being cut every year, they really rely on this money,” Van Note said.

The sales also draw a large crowd.

“If past years are any indication, we’ll get quite a turnout,” Anderson said.

Anyone can join Friends of the Library at any point during the sale or at the door before the preview sale.

Friends membership is $15 per year. New members can designate which library branch receives half their dues, and the other half is used for the Friends’ general fund.

The Friends money helps pay for tables, computer monitors and other library expenses.

Anyone wanting to donate books for the sale can do so at any Cherokee County library branch.