The Jan Hawks Memorial Book Sale, organized by the American Association of University Women, will take place this Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oxford Community Pavilion at the corner of Bramlett Avenue and University Avenue.
The Oxford AAUW chapter is comprised of about 20 members, ranging from university faculty and employees to members of the community, all who believe in the benefits of equal education for girls and women. The annual sale has been kept running by the local AAUW chapter for more than two decades with great success.
“The community is very supportive,” Amy Gibson, professor with the university libraries, said.
The book sale is in honor of Jan Hawks, a former dean of women at Ole Miss and the first director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women’s Studies. She received her Ph.D. in history from the University of Mississippi and also served as an assistant professor of history with the university.
“She was always a big deal to the American Association of University Women,” she said.
A diverse array of books will be sold for $1, ranging from fiction and nonfiction to scholarly texts, textbooks and some modern popular titles. The price for a large number of books is negotiable.
Each year about 2,000-3,000 random selections are donated for the sale, and if one is not interested in buying books, the AAUW is taking donations in the form of books or money.
The scholarship honors late longtime AAUW member Sarah Robinson, who participated in the organization for more than 50 years. Robinson received her graduate school education at the university and lived in Oxford for nearly 25 years. Before her passing in 2013, she expressed that she wanted the money from the book sale to go toward a scholarship for Ole Miss students.
Proceeds from the event will go toward funding the Sarah Robinson Scholarship in her honor for students in the School of Education and the Department of English who have been nominated by faculty.
“In past years, the book sale been very popular with students,” Gibson said.
Due to construction at the Union, the sale will be held off campus this year, but Gibson said she still hopes students will come out to support the cause that ultimately gives back to the students and the community.
“It’s important to take a break from coursework and keep your brain running, and reading a book is the perfect way to do that,” Gibson said.
