By T.L. Petersen

Observer Staff Writer

Don't ask how many books the American Association of University Women collect and sell at their book sale each year.

AAUW's La Grande members get that question a lot, said treasurer Janet Hume-Schwarz. The answer is: "Nobody is sure. A lot."

Wednesday was set-up day in Eastern Oregon University's Quinn Coliseum small gym. The sale began at noon today, lasts all day Friday and ends at noon Saturday.

At 1 p.m., the tables were set up with signs noting that books featuring cooking, religion, children's subjects, fiction, academic subjects or any number of other topics would be placed on them.

By 1:30, the truck had arrived and boxes and boxes of books, sorted by topic, were being unloaded.

Hume-Schwarz watched the activity, directing workers and answering questions.

A La Grande CPA, Hume-Schwarz joined AAUW first as a college student and then as a member after she graduated.

"I love it," she said, chuckling as she thinks of all the years of book sales.

Records of the La Grande AAUW chapter date back to at least 1945, Hume-Schwarz said, but she's not sure when, exactly, the annual book sale started.

What she does know is that the sale is the annual fund-raiser to bring in the money needed to provide two scholarships for women. The recipients are returning to college to work on a degree after at least two years away from college. The scholarships aren't quite full-ride, Hume-Schwarz said, but close.

"That's it. That's our main mission — women becoming educated " she said, stopping to direct a box of National Geographics to one side.

Baker City's AAUW chapter also has a book sale, Hume-Schwarz said, but that group's efforts have never grown to the size of La Grande's.

During the past five years or so, the AAUW has made changes to the annual book sale that Hume-Schwarz sees as major improvements.

The group, about 25 to 30 women, used to collect used books for the sale between January and April. Now they collect year-round, with drop-off spots in most Union County communities.

AAUW also used to keep unsold books after each sale for the next year, but now cleans out its storage space. Unsold books are donated, either to Eastern Oregon University education students or to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for mission shipments.

The point is to clean out the unsold books, Hume-Schwarz said, so if anyone contacts AAUW "and if they want books, they're going to get them."

And once again this year, AAUW is pricing most books on a per-inch basis.

Buyers will find the books they want, head to the checkout point and pay 50 cents per stacked inch. There are a few tables where books and audio tapes have individual prices, but for the most part, the ruler is the guide.

Hume-Schwarz's years at the book sale have left her with many memories. She still remembers the complete set of Shakespeare's works. A note was found inside a volume that said only, "My mother's Shakespeare collection."

There was also the set of encyclopedias not too many years ago that dated from before World War II. The maps and country entries were very different for the browsers than they are today.

This year, AAUW book sale workers expect that a collection of books about domestic cats may be a big draw, and that the cookbook table will be picked over quickly. Audiotapes of John Grisham's books may be another prize find.

Hume-Schwarz watches the tables fill with boxes of books.

"This is my passion," she said softly. "I love it."