For some, the hardest item to declutter is books. But one of the most common questions I get asked is, “Where can I donate my used books?”
It’s an interesting paradox when you think about it. But the struggle and the question are probably related. Books are an important part of our lives. When we decide it’s time to part with them, we want to know they are going to a nice home where they can continue to enrich and improve other people’s lives.
In order to provide a thoughtful and thorough answer to the question above, I’ve spent time researching the most current and up-to-date places to donate your lightly-used books.
Here’s a list of 20 places to donate used books:
1. The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is one of the world’s largest providers of social aid. Proceeds from their stores are used to fund Adult Rehabilitation Centers, where those in the grip of addiction find help, hope, and a second chance at life. Find a location near you.
2. Goodwill. Goodwill is a nonprofit organization that provides job training, employment placement services, and other community-based programs for people who have barriers preventing them from otherwise obtaining a job. They are often conveniently located.
3. Local Libraries. As with most places on this list, it is wise and courteous to call in advance for specifics on current needs. Many local libraries do not have the space or time to sort through large collections of books. Check to see if they are looking for current titles, or organizing a community book sale in the near future.
4. Vietnam Veterans of America. VVA is a non-profit organization committed to serving the needs of veterans. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government. Check out their convenient Pickup service for availability in your area.
5. Habitat for Humanity ReStores. Proceeds from ReStores are used to help build strength, stability, self-reliance, and shelter in local communities and around the world. Check out their website for locations near you.
6. Other Local Charities. Donation Town connects donors with charities all over the country that offer free donation pick up service. Use their website to locate local charities willing to come pick up your gently used book donation.
7. Local Theaters. If your books are historical in nature, check with your local theater and/or museum. Books may be used as props during performances or as display exhibits in local museums.
8. Retirement Homes. As with other places offered on this list, be sure to call and inquire about current level of need to ensure that your donation is not a burden.
9. Kids Need to Read. Kids Need to Read works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children. They accept “like new” children’s books that are not scribbled upon or visibly damaged.
10. Reader to Reader. Reader to Reader, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding literacy and learning opportunities for the nation’s most chronically underserved and vulnerable communities, including inner-city schools, Native American reservations, and poor rural towns. Find a donation program near you.
11. African Library Project. ALP is dedicated to creating African libraries by organizing the shipment of gently-used books through book drives in the United States. You can find a local book drive or better yet, organize your own.
12. Books for Africa. Books for Africa collects, sorts, ships, and distributes books to students of all ages in Africa with the goal of ending the book famine in Africa.
13. Books Through Bars. Books Through Bars works to provide quality reading material to prisoners in Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
14. Prison Book Programs. Prison Book Program is a grassroots organization that exists for one purpose—to send free books to prisoners. In addition to the work they do, they also keep a current list of local organizations (in your area) doing the same thing. Find their list here.
15. Books for Soldiers / Operation Paperback. Books for Soldiers / Operation Paperback collects gently-used books and sends them to American troops overseas, as well as veterans and military families here at home. To begin the shipment process, sign up here.
16. Better World Books. BWB collects and sells books online to donate books and fund literacy initiatives worldwide. You can find more about their donation process here.
17. Bookmooch. If you are looking to receive books back in exchange for your donation, try Bookmooch, a community for exchanging used books.
18. Re-book It. (Los Angeles). Re-Book It is a free community pick-up service provided by The Last Bookstore to ensure that no books end up in landfills, but instead find new homes in the hands of readers.
19. Big Hearted Books. (New England). Big Hearted Books & Clothing Inc. is a socially conscious, for-profit, book and textile reuse company whose mission is to keep books, media, clothing, and other reusable items out of landfills.
20. Freecycle. Freecycle is a free, local online bulletin board dedicated to reusing goods. Create an account, post a brief description of the books you are looking to donate, and see if anyone local is interested in taking them.
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Here are a few other places doing cool stuff with books. They are not accepting book donations at this time—but if you want to financially support reading programs, here are a couple to look into: United Through Reading and Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
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As I’ve mentioned a few times in this post, please be courteous and thoughtful with your book donations. Whenever possible, call ahead to be sure your book donation is needed—citing specific genres when possible. Keep in mind that quality, gently-used books will always be most appreciated. And consider sorting your books prior to donating.
Be a blessing, not a burden.
I wonder whether Little Free Libraries accept books as well as offering them—probably depends on the owner. I bring some books to the book sale of the local library (they have their own used book shop), and I clip off our address label and donate kids’ magazines (Highlights, Ranger Rick, etc.) to the waiting room of the community clinic where I work.
Oh yeah! I donate books all the time to tiny libraries – it has to go both ways or else there would be no books in them! :) It’s all donated and swapped around stuff. (I like to put books on coin collecting and personal finance in them too – two of my hobbies to hopefully get others interested as well, haha… even though I’m sure they’re the last books to be picked up ;))
YES! I am the secretary for our local Rotary Club and many Little Free Libraries across the country are built, installed and managed by Rotarians. The sole purpose of the libraries is for “exchange” purposes (give a book, take a book). Our club has installed 2 LFL’s and is about to install a third. We love that our community helps us by regularly filling the library with books for people of all ages! We do check on it weekly to ensure that all books are “kid-friendly”.
They do! Most note “Take a book; return/leave a book.”
I donate my books to local charities and have replaced the ones I wanted to keep with electronic ones. Takes up less space and feels refreshing!
Great list! Also, try local used book stores, free little libraries or Kijiji
Currently, some Books A Million bookstores are buying used books. Also, some buy used music CD’s.
I have a Little Free Library we take on camping trips. Always nice to get donations although I have used my own money for books also. I also offer books to coworkers I know that have small children but finances are tight
Diane, I love your idea of having a mobile Free Little Library. I’m going to try this!
VA Hospitals have free book stands at several kiosks through out the facility and accept donations.
You could start a book swap table at work. In my office building we have a coffee table in the lobby where people can leave books for others to read.
If anyone owns a cafe or coffee shop maybe they want to do something similar?..
As the once proud and semi-guilty owner of over 1,500 books, several years ago I took about a month to prune through them. Although the most relevant to Josh’s current topic is my “Where to Take post, readers may also find value in the prior steps of “Book Criteria” – deciding what to keep and what to give away. Just click on the Books tag of my Living Lightly blog to see 10 posts about how to discern what books are worth keeping at home and which can find a better home. Thanks for all the research you did on this, Joshua.
I’m having such a difficult time with this.ive given away about 1200 of my library and am down to the final 300. Lots of them I haven’t read yet, but I could buy later, digitally if I donated the books. Others are not available digitally and are ones I like to flip through or re-read. Feeling like I should donate the ones that have digital versions.
Some towns also have small little book kiosks. They are made by scouts I believe. In my town they are found in walkways to the beach and in the parks. They are donated books in a lifted wooden box with a plexiglass door. Very convenient and a lovely sight.
Love these ideas <3. It’s a lot easier for me to pass along books to loving homes then to dicard them. Senior centers, small church libraries, laundry mats ( especially for used magazines) are a few ideas that I didn’t see mentioned above.
As a member of the Friends of the Bridgeport Public Library in Bridgeport CT we depend on your donations to distribute books in our community to schools community centers seniors and literacy programs.
You can also release your books into the wild through a website called “Bookcrossing”. You label and number them, enter them into the database, and then leave them in public places for others to read and pass along. Not every book will travel far, but sometimes a book can make it across the country and you get to follow its path.
For our excess kids books, we leave them one of the Little Free Libraries. For every 2 books left, we let the kids pick 1, if they like.
Any ideas for where to donate old encyclopedia sets? The info they contain would be very out of date. Would anyone want them for craft purposes perhaps? Thanks~
The theatre idea might be a good one here- especially if they look older and hefty. I work in the theatre, and we use books a lot as set dressing. Be warned though- we will cut them up, destroy them, hollow them out, etc.
Also, any maker spaces in your area might want them for crafting purposes. There are some really cool crafts you can do with books!
If you are in Chicago, consider donating books to Open Books. They operate several used book stores and proceeds benefit their literacy programs for students from early childhood through grade 12. Teachers can also fill a box of books for free on every visit.
Thanks! I’m always looking for new places to donate books. MD Anderson Hospital in Houston has a library and they accept donations of paperback books.
I’m disappointed you didn’t recommend a local school for used children’s books. New, as well as seasoned, teachers appreciate the addition to their classroom libraries. If your local school doesn’t have a Little library, suggest one, or help to establish one. Our school’s OR A also does a book swap at the end of the year. Students bring in 3 or more books they have already read and exchange them for 3 new ones to read over the summer/ break.
My understanding is that Goodwill is indeed a for-profit business organization….
I refuse to donate to Goodwill because of the shady business practices. It’s my understanding that the CEO makes millions of dollars selling donated items, meanwhile the employees barely make anything over minimum wage. They honestly don’t do much ‘good will’ at all. I much prefer to donate to local charities, clothing missions, etc, that take donated items and give them away for free to the needy in my community. That is true good will.
Thanks for the comment Bryanne. But you might want to fact-check your research. The CEO of Goodwill does not make millions of dollars each year.
There are many Goodwill entities. Based on a quick look at Charity Watch, the salary for the president/CEO of Goodwill Industries International is around $700,000.
I donated several thousand a few years back to a local thrift store, that runs on the smell of an oily rag. No-one gets paid, it’s not fancy, it’s not all done-up and really does rely on people being kind. This is my fave place to donate. Now I don’t own any paper books, however.
This post is timely :) Project Schoolhouse, where I work, is in the process of launching a book drive for all of April 2018.
We’re working to provide libraries in all of our schools in Nicaragua (we build schools and install water systems in the rural area around Rio Blanco), and we need help getting books. Our goal is 1000 books and at only $10 each, on average, you can bring the joy of reading to so many children. Aside from donating books, folks can help by donating money that will be used to purchase books OR go straight to our Amazon Book Wish List and purchase books yourself. They will come straight to us and we will carry them down to Nicaragua on our next journey.
Local parks in my area have a book share program. There is what looks like a large birdhouse at the entrance fill with books.
You can take what you need or drop off what you like. I have taken a few good technical books from the program. I have not returned and yet ;-(
Amazing list! Donating books is a great idea and it would be better if you donate them to a needy person.
Don’t forget to check the overhead percents when making purposeful donation to companies so you know what percent is doing the true helping. Some nonprofits spend a great deal on things other than the cause they support.
I’ve been trying to own less, so I use the library every week. My kids know how to fill out forms for inter-library loans. We visit book stores, and just end up writing down titles to borrow.
When we found buy, it’s at this great little local store, Bearly Used Books. We bring old books in for credit, and buy second hand books there. It’s pretty sweet.
If you live in Auckland, New Zealand then donate to Variety the Children’s Charity. Proceeds from resale go to help disadvantaged Kiwi Kids.
If you want to make a little money instead of donating, Half Priced Bookstores will purchase old books and DVDS.
You can also donate to local schools! My students get their reading material from their English teachers or the school library, and not from a regular library. If you have books in very good condition and live near a district/school that services low income students, I highly recommend donating books to them. What better way to say “I value your education and want you to succeed” than by giving them reading material in great condition (rather than very used, falling apart books, that just reinforce their low income status)!
Our apartment building has a counter near the elevator where people often leave books and magazines for others to read. The building also has a “library” in the games room–very informal, no sign-out, you just borrow books and then bring them back when you’re done. There are also jigsaw puzzles to borrow.
I volunteer in the books corner at a thrift store, and we get a lot of books that come through the store more than once (often our price stickers are still on them). We take books in any condition, but those in bad shape, or too dated to be useful (like computer books for long-gone software), go to paper recycling.
Check with your teacher friends! They often spend their own money to provide a variety of reading materials in their classrooms. I don’t want to give them things they can’t use, so I just snap a quick photo of what I’m ready to get rid of and text it to friends to see which titles they would like to have.