After over 40 years, McGill’s annual book fair has closed its doors for the last time. The volunteer-run fair, which took place this year from Oct. 18-20, will be the last of its kind at McGill, not due to budget cuts, but rather because those who run it are retiring and have no one eager to replace them.

“Look at the average age of the volunteers —we’re getting old,” Victoria Lees, Coordinator, and ex-Secretary General of McGill University, said. “It’s my fourth year of being the coordinator of this book fair. I didn’t want to do it anymore, and nobody wanted to replace me.”

The McGill book fair, founded in 1971, sells used books donated by the citizens of Montreal. The money earned is then donated to McGill scholarships and bursaries. Since its launch, the book fair has raised over $1.5 million for student aid.

 The books offered to the public span a wide range of disciplines, from architecture to zoology. Both French and English books are available, as well as CDs, DVDs, LPs, and sheet music. The number of donations received is so large that one room is devoted entirely to art and architecture, while another exclusively houses old and rare volumes.

“People donate and bring us books. We collect them from mid-February until October. Volunteers would come in twice a week, and we would sort the books, pack them, and price them until we are ready to sell,” Lees said. “Most of the money we raise goes to McGill fellowships and scholarships, and the rest goes to the expenses of doing this book fair, such as renting tables. Last year we gave $85,000 to the scholarships.”

According to Lees, enormous time and effort goes into the organization of each book fair. Countless volunteers donated much of their time to each annual installment, and some have worked at the fairs for years.

“I have worked at this book fair since 1979 —it’s been my life,” Hiroko Inou, a volunteer, said. “Jane Wood, who started the book fair, unfortunately died in 2008. She was my mentor.”

Inou expressed sadness at the end of an event which has had such a cultural legacy.

“We rescue used books to be used again and provide good prices to McGill students and to the citizens of Montreal. We have many faithful customers who come back here every year,” Inou said. “I don’t want this to end. We are all volunteers here. It’s very sad.”

The fair has attracted large crowds every year since its inception, and volunteers are certainly not the only ones who will miss the event.

“I’ve been coming to this book fair for years. I’ve always found plenty of books that are in great condition, and they’ve always been decent prices ­—it’s such a shame this is the final fair. I will miss it, and the volunteers who run it,” a Montrealer, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

“This is the first time I’ve been to this book fair. It’s a good idea. I like that books can be re-used and given a second life. The prices seem reasonable as well, which is great because as a student I’m always looking for bargains,” a McGill arts student, also anonymous, added. “I hope something like this can be started up again in the future, as it seems really sad that this is the last year.”