Glen Vienneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 04/00) - After a two-month hiatus, a used book store manned by Yellowknife scouts has been resurrected, complete with a new location.

The six members of the 7th Yellowknife Scouts Canada were busy earlier this month moving their books to a new location.

The new store opened July 22 in the basement of the Polar Parkas & Fabrics 49th Street store.

"They (the sponsor) found out we were looking for a new home and they offered it to us (at no cost)," said Scouter Alf Silke.

Before the store was established more than three years ago, scouts collected a wide range of books as a fund-raiser. The money raised was used by the members to attend the Canadian Jamboree Camp.

"Basically, people just donate books that they don't want," said Silke, adding that many books collected were leftover yard sale items.

"What we did is collected unwanted books from people in town and we'd set up throughout various downtown locations," said Silke, adding that a "travelling book sale" was done every three months.

Then in September of 1997, the scouts took the opportunity to establish a semi-permanent sales outlet at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The scouts began having books sales the first Saturday of every month.

"We've filled a niche because in the past all these (books) were to head out to the dump. Now they come to us," Silke said.

Now that the scouts have a new location, troop members are going ahead with a weekly sale every Saturday until the end of summer.

The price of the books will range from 50 cents to five dollars. Money raised will continue to fund the Jamboree in addition with year-round activities.

In September, the store schedule will return to the first Saturday of every month.

"In the past we have offered the store to other groups for fund-raising purposes," said Silke.

That included school groups, hockey teams, block parents and other Scout troops, he explained.

Within the past three years, the troop has handled about 20,000 books.

One of the items that has been avoided were magazines. The ones that were kept were normally found in the store "free to bring home section".

Other books having questionable contents were simply not put on the shelves, he added.

"Any book that comes in, if I don't feel that it's appropriate for my scouts, I'm not going to put it out,"