STEUBENVILLE — Area residents will be able to get a great deal on reading and listening materials and other items while helping a local organization this weekend.

That’s when the Friends of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County will hold its annual 25-cent used book sale. While “book” is in the name, the sale will offer a wide variety of items.

“We’re talking about books, audiobooks, music CDs, DVDs — anything that the library has,” explained Robyn Hill. “And as far as donations, we also get things like games, puzzles, vinyl and VHS — we take anything that’s in decent condition.”

Hill is president of the Friends group, and she and other members, including event coordinator Christine Holt, have been busy making final plans for the sale, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Main Library, located at 407 S. Fourth St.

It is a fun weekend, she said, with an important purpose. It raises money to support the group’s efforts, which help the library system serve area residents.

“We are a nonprofit organization that works alongside the library,” Hill said. “We provide support for events, we coordinate volunteers, we provide prizes for the summer reading program and things the library might not necessarily budget for.”

That includes purchasing items for the system’s Library of Things. Thanks to fundraising efforts last year, every branch now has a public-facing laminator. The group will also provide a large viewing screen for the system’s Bergholz Branch, which is scheduled to open later this year. The screen will be presented in memory of Alan Hall, the longtime former system director who died in September.

Hill said the group also provides social media support for library-related events and has assisted with the kitten adoption center at the Schiappa Branch.

“We’re really proud of the fact that it’s such a unique program the library has, and there have been more than 100 adoptions out of that center,” she said.

Those efforts are made possible through events like the used book sale.

“It’s kind of our signature event,” Hill said.

Support from the group is spread among the library’s seven branches, which will expand to eight after the Bergholz facility opens. Hill said area residents do not always realize the libraries in the county are part of one system.

“It’s all one system,” she said. “So the support they give to events like the 25-cent book sale goes to benefit all of the branches.”

While most items will sell for 25 cents each, Hill said some specialty items — such as boxed sets, older books from the 1800s or autographed books — will be set aside and priced slightly higher.

“What we do is take any donations that the library system receives that they are unable to use in their permanent collection, as well as any items that the library system has weeded, since there is only a finite amount of shelf space,” she said. “Every year they go through and look at circulation numbers, and they pull off the shelf things that are older or that maybe have a little too much wear and tear but are still serviceable.”

Sale items will be spread throughout the downtown facility and organized into different sections, she said. In addition to books, there will be a bake sale and a 50-50 drawing. Attendees also will be able to purchase tote bags while supplies last. A large bag will cost $15 and a smaller bag will cost $10, with each purchase allowing patrons to fill the bag once for free.

On Saturday only, the Dr. Sweets and Rusty Bull food trucks will be on site.

Friends of the Library membership comes with perks, Hill added, including discounts on events and an extended checkout period. Another benefit is early access to the book sale. Members will be able to browse and shop from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday.

Applications are available at any branch and on the group’s Facebook page, and Hill said anyone interested in joining can do so during the sale and begin receiving benefits immediately. Membership for the remainder of the year is $20.

Cash and electronic payments will be accepted.

“It’s a great collaborative effort,” Hill said. “We get support from friends, from members, from librarians and from the library — we get volunteers, we get donations from the public. It’s just a wonderful community event. Last year, we saw about 1,200 people during the course of the two-day sale.”

“Usually,” Hill added, “during the last hour of the second day, it’s fill a box for a dollar. If you are looking for the biggest deals, that’s the time to come — there’s less selection, but really good deals.”