Called "a gigantic community recycling project," collection for the annual AAUW Ann Arbor book sale gets under way Monday, June 24. Last year the used book sale raised more than $28,000 to provide scholarships for local women to attend college.
The collection site this year is at the Oak Valley Centre at Ann Arbor-Saline Road and Waters Road in Pittsfield Township. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. from June 24 until August 17, book donations will be accepted. The book sale takes place the weekend after Labor Day from Friday through Sunday, Sept. 6-8 at the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College.
The AAUW organization began empowering women in 1881. The Ann Arbor branch of the AAUW continues that tradition with money raised at the book sale by offering scholarships to local high school graduates to attend Washtenaw Community College, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan through the Center for the Education of Women and the Mary Markley Scholarships..
The Ann Arbor branch of the AAUW has nearly 300 members and is the largest branch in Michigan. Amy Seetoo, the AAUW publicity chair for the book sale, says that there are women in their 90s still volunteering to help with the sale.
"I think it's the dedication of our members that has given our book sale such a long history," said Seetoo. "For the next eight weeks, it's a lot of work cleaning and organizing the books."
Seetoo says that they accept all kinds of books, and this year for the first time are including textbooks in that list.
She says, "Romance novels are the most popular donations we get, and they are also the most popular books at the sale."
Seetoo adds that novels in general are big sellers as are cook books. She says that a number of people "recycle" books they have previously bought at the AAUW book sale and come and buy new ones to keep the tradition going.
Books will sell from $1-$6 on the Friday of the book sale, half price on Saturday, and $8 a bagful on Sunday. Unsold books will be donated to nonprofit organizations. For more information on the book sale, go to the AAUW web site at www.annarbor-mi.aauw.net.