Lots of people -- myself included -- love books. The smell of the ink, the weight of the pages, the anticipation of the story tucked inside.However, if you're like me, you don't have unlimited space for all those new books. And you really only read most of them once ... and then they languish on a shelf (or in a box) collecting dust.
Instead, we donate all of our already-read books to our local public library. While you won't make a dent in a large-city library, small-town libraries need the support your donations will give them. We donate adult books, as well as those the kids are finished with.
And, if more folks donated their books, people like me who love checking books out at the library would have more selections to choose from. See? It's a win-win.
That's what works for me. What works for you?
Our library is large, so they use donated books to sell at a book sale (to raise money for the library).
I have been enjoying getting rid of our books on PaperBackSwap.com because then I'm using the credits to collect books that we need for the curriculum we are using next year.
I should do this for sure, we have tons of books and we are always getting more! Thanks for the tip, I can think of a few libraries right now that could use them!
I personally donated about 30 books just last month. I think this is an extraordinary idea and more people should indeed do it! Hey... What about a Jaycees book drive?!?!?!
I've also sold some books on Amazon. They collect the money and direct deposit it into my account. I just have to mail out the book. It's not worth it when the books sell cheap though so I still donate lots of books.
Glad to hear that. Our library appears to be stocked with 1970's romance novels and nothing else. I can never find anything I want to read there.
Hi Jessye! We did a book drive last summer. It was a children's book theme and we donated the books to area daycares, advocacy groups, and the library. I think we collect somewhere around 1,500 books!
Anna - I hate going to our library to find a well-known book that it should have, only to come out empty handed. My new goal is to buy books simply to donate so that more people can find good books there. Altho, old people come out with stacks and stacks, so I guess they cater to the audience. :)
Angie - how cool that there's a system to swap out old books for new ones you need. I'll have to check that out!
Buffie - for some reason, I equate going to the post office with going to the dentist, so shipping them out isn't a great option for me. Cool way to earn extra cash, though!
Michelle - if your library is like ours, its patrons will soon be thanking you!