UNIVERSITY PARK — The May 2023 AAUW State College Used Book Sale, held May 13-16 at the Penn State Snider Ag Arena, brought more than 7,000 shoppers together to empower women and girls locally through scholarships and community grants.
“Our gross sales this year came to $187,562, a 33% increase over last May’s event,” said Donna Trapp, book sale co-chair. “The increase came from the generosity of people donating more books this past year, coupled with shoppers who clearly have a love of reading and books. The sale runs as smoothly as it does due to all of the volunteers and our community partners who generously provide in-kind donations.”
Branch treasurer Vasundara Varadan stated that ever since former branch treasurer Ann Echols led the way in adding credit cards as an acceptable form of payment, sales have steadily increased.
“Ann’s vision was spot-on, and the convenience for shoppers and for volunteers processing sales has become much easier with credit cards,” she explained.
This year’s high sales will help offset the increased expenses of conducting the sale, such as paying for Penn State parking. The group also has significant costs associated with running the Used Book Workshop throughout the year, where book donations are accepted and processed.
Sally Kalin, manager of the Special Collections Room at the event, said, “The used book sale truly ‘takes a village.’ It is a team effort that has kept the event going for 61 years. From book donors to the hundreds of volunteers working behind the scenes and at the sale, and to Penn State, several service organizations, media groups and businesses for their support — thank you.”
Next year’s sale will be May 11-14 at the Penn State Snider Ag Arena. Books for the 2024 sale may be donated starting June 13, 2023, at the AAUW State College Used Book Workshop. It is located at 2197 High Tech Road near University Park Airport.
Visit aauwstatecollege.org for details.
