The Ann Arbor branch of the American Association of University Women
Every summer more than 100 members collect, clean, and sort tens of thousands of donated books. Every September the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College fills with them for three days. Every dollar of profit pays for a woman's education. It is probably the biggest book sale in town, and it has been an Ann Arbor institution for 72 years.
Quote: longtime member Barbara Petoskey, as told to the Ann Arbor Observer, 2025.
Thousands of donated books filled the Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, for three days after Labor Day. Collection ran June 15 to July 25 at 2980 Packard Street, and members sorted all summer. Net proceeds are tallied at the end of September and allocated by the board in November; the 2026 allocation will be posted on the proceeds page once approved.
The 73rd sale follows the same rhythm in September 2027. Dates are confirmed each spring here, in Connections, and in the Ann Arbor Observer.
| Day | How it worked |
|---|---|
| Friday | Full selection, books priced roughly $1 to $6. Dealers and collectors lined up before the doors opened. |
| Saturday | Everything half price. |
| Sunday | Fill a bag for $8. Leftovers went to libraries and nonprofits, and anything unusable was recycled. |
Admission was free, cash and cards accepted, free parking at WCC. Expect the same next September.
Members filmed the journey: from your doorstep to the sorting tables to the sale floor. Every book is sorted, checked, cleaned, and cared for by volunteers, and every dollar raised goes straight to scholarships for local students.
Videos play from our Facebook page. If one does not load, open it there.
Drop books at our sorting site, 2980 Packard Street, Ann Arbor, Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 10 AM to 2 PM. Hardcovers and paperbacks in good condition, children's books, cookbooks, art books, CDs and DVDs. Receipts available; donations are tax-deductible.
Three filters, like a field hospital for books: rough sort removes what will not sell, triage checks and cleans every single book, and distribution files it into one of about 75 categories. Laptops identify valuable volumes for dealers. Nothing goes in the trash. The full sorting process →
Two semi-trucks of boxes and trays arrive at WCC. Student athletes unload; members set every book spine-up on long tables. Friday full price, Saturday half price, Sunday by the bag. Inventory is taken each night so next year's sale is sharper. The story of the sale →
Net proceeds are split each November by the branch board. Half goes to AAUW National, where the branch has fully endowed five national fellowships that support graduate scholars in perpetuity, including the $200,000 International Fellowship Fund 4349 completed early in 2018 with a bequest from member Arlene Huff. Half stays in Washtenaw County for women at our three partner campuses.
2024 sale, approved November 5, 2024. The 2023 sale awarded $22,500; see the allocation letter and proceeds.
Where every dollar landsHalf to AAUW National, half to three Washtenaw County campuses.
Greatest Needs Fund · fellowships & grants
Mary Markley Scholarship
Used Book Sale & Bittman funds
AAUW Ann Arbor Endowment · Digital Divas
AAUW Ann Arbor Endowment · Brandon Scholarship
State organizationCreated by the branch in 1990 and endowed in 2019 by a U-M alumna who had herself received a Mary Markley scholarship in 1983. It supports people returning to school to finish a degree, forever.
All local scholarships →Two to three students a year at each campus. The EMU fund began as a $30 student loan fund in 1933.
How the endowments grew →Book sale and merchandise proceeds also help send a dozen student leaders a year to the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders.
Meet them →"It's probably the biggest sale in town."
"We're really into recycling and reusing through our sale."
"Romance novels are the most popular donations we get."
Also listed each year by U-M's Center for the Education of Women+, Ann Arbor LocalWiki, and the All About Ann Arbor calendar.
Collection runs from mid-June through late July at 2980 Packard Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. In 2026 the hours were Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, 10 AM to 2 PM, closed July 4. Check back in spring 2027 for the next schedule, or follow us on Facebook.
Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law; receipts are available at drop-off. Need a pickup for a large collection? Contact the Book Sale Co-Chairs.
Sorting is the heart of the sale and the way members become friends. Sorters work short shifts through the summer; sale-week volunteers set up tables, cashier, restock, and pack up. Members and friends of members are welcome.
Since 2023, local businesses have added to the bottom line with cash or in-kind support (think bottled water for sorters). Sponsors are thanked in the directory and at the sale.