AAUW Used Book Sale Sees Record Attendance, Strong Sales

AAUW State College welcomed a record number of shoppers and raised more than $200,000 during its 63rd annual Used Book Sale held May 17-20.

The event at Penn State’s Snider Ag Arena brought in 7.267 people, a 4.5% increase over last year, and had gross sales totaling $211,475, according to the nonprofit organization.

“The increased attendance at this year’s sale tells us that readers still seek out paper books,” Mary Ann Blair, Used Book Sale co-chair, said in a statement. “I have seen that smile of discovery as someone spots a particular title or author. Our generous  community supplies the books and our volunteers and community partners  continue to make the sale a treasured event.“

After expenses for maintaining its book workshop throughout the year and putting on the sale, the chapter will net $161,475 for community grants that reflect the AAUW mission to  advance equity for women and girls.

Funds will be used to support nonprofit programs that empower girls and women in areas such as STEM, health, literacy and economic self-sufficiency; sponsorships for college women to attend a multi-day leadership conference; supplementing a scholarship endowment for returning adult women students; and other branch priorities and operations.

All grants and scholarships support local women and local programs.

The strong returns from this year’s event will help to offset rising costs for conducting the sale.

“The cost of running the Used Book Workshop throughout the year, where book donations are accepted and processed, has increased significantly,” AAUW wrote in a news release. “Penn State parking costs continue to rise, and corporate and community sponsorship for parking costs at future sales would be deeply appreciated.”

The 64th annual Used Book Sale will be held May 9-12, 2026 at Snider Ag Arena. Books for the 2026 sale may be donated starting July 8 at the AAUW State College Used Book Workshop, 2197 High Tech Road, near State College Regional Airport. Visit aauwstatecollege.org for drop-off details and hours.