UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — From the generous donations of books from community members throughout the year and incredible support from volunteers and shoppers, the State College branch of the American Association of University Women finished its annual Used Book Sale with record gross sales of $154,589 — a 5 percent increase over last year’s event. The sale was held May 11-14 in the Snider Agricultural Arena on Penn State’s University Park campus.
After the expense of running its Used Book Workshop year-round and the costs of putting on the sale, AAUW State College estimates net proceeds of $120,314.
“We are grateful for the community’s continued support of the sale,” said Cindy Hall, AAUW State College co-president. “The dollars we net after expenses will be used to benefit the community and support the AAUW State College mission to advance equity for women and girls through research, education and advocacy.”
Income from the sale is used to fund grants to support projects run by Centre County nonprofits that align with the AAUW mission and the branch’s priorities, and to fund educational scholarships for women adult learner undergraduate students in Centre County. AAUW State College has been a powerful force for advancing women and girls for more than 100 years.
This year, 4,257 boxes— containing roughly 250,000 books — were brought to the sale, and an overwhelming majority of those books are now in the hands of new owners. One new feature for this year’s event was the addition of credit cards as a payment option, which was very well received by shoppers.
Book donations for the 2020 sale will resume at the AAUW State College Used Book Workshop, located at 176 Technology Drive in Boalsburg, with a special book drop-off day planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. The book donation bins will re-open on that date as well. Regular summer hours for boxed and bagged donations to the workshop door will resume June 17.
For additional information on donating, call 814-466-6041 or visit www.aauwstatecollege.org.