05 Jun 2011 7 Comments
Donating books – Seven places that want your used books.
So you’ve got a pile of gently used picture books that your kids have long outgrown, or maybe it’s that dusty pile of current chick-lit by your bedside that you want to clear out.
Here’s a few ideas on how to donate those gently used books to an organization that can get them into the hands of someone who’s eager to read them.
1. Local Charities
Donationtown is a great website that can help match you with a local charity. Just enter your zip code and find a local group that will come to your home and pick up your donations. Not just for books, but clothes, toys, furniture, etc. http://www.donationtown.org — Enter your zip code and find a local charity that will come and pick up your donations.
Organizations like Goodwill and the Salvation Army will take books and sell them in their stores.
2. National Groups
These groups focus primarily on getting children’s books into the hands of needy kids.
BookEnds, a nonprofit organization based in Southern California, is about Kids Helping Kids. BookEnds’ recycles children’s books through student-run book drives and places them in schools and youth organizations in need of books.
Kids in Need, Books in Deed Kids in Need – Books in Deed is a nonprofit organization that brings free books and free author visits to Kids in Need throughout the state of Florida.
Reading Tree Reading Tree places and maintains book collection bins in communities across the country. By collecting and redistributing used books, we are able to support literacy programs by providing fundamental books to kids.
Darien Book Aid Plan This non-profit, all volunteer organization that builds a foundation of peace, understanding, and friendship by distributing free books. Book Aid sends books in response to specific requests from Peace Corps volunteers, libraries and schools all over the world Books are also donated to libraries, prisons, hospitals, Native American and Appalachian groups in the United States.
Reader to Reader A non-profit organization that distributes books to schools and libraries in need.
3. International Charities
The Book Bus – The Book Bus Foundation was founded in 2007 by Tom Maschler with the aim of spreading literacy and the joy of reading to children in Zambia. The Book Bus now operates in Malawi and Ecuador as well as Zambia. The Book Bus provides a mobile service and actively promotes literacy to underprivileged communities in Zambia and Ecuador. The legacy of each Book Bus visit is a reading corner and bookshelves stocked with children’s books.
Book Aid International – This organization increases access to books to support literacy, education and development in sub-Saharan Africa, Palestine and Sri Lanka.
Books Abroad – Books Abroad believes that, in the long term, education is what is required to help solve the worlds problems. With the power to read and write, the children of today will have a better understanding of the issues surrounding them.
Nearly all types of books are accepted by the International Book Project, Inc. of Lexington, Kentucky. Although the International Book Project works mainly in developing countries, last year we also partnered with several organizations working in underserved communities within the U.S.
International Book Project – This international nonprofit whose mission is to promote education and literacy while broadening Americans’ understanding of their neighbors by sending quality used books overseas.
Books for International Goodwill – Books for International Goodwill (B.I.G.) has successfully recycled used books for productive use by those who need books for schools and libraries to improve literacy in developing communities around the world. B.I.G. is a project begun by the Parole Rotary Club of Annapolis and is now an independent non-profit entity. It’s motto is “Spreading Literacy by Keeping Books Alive”.
4. Libraries.
Call your local library to find out if you can donate to them. Many libraries will take your books and sell them in their used book fund raisers.
5. Hospitals, nursing homes, and shelters.
Hospitals and clinics frequently accept donations of books for their waiting rooms and patients. I know from running book drives that nursing homes love to get romance novels and biographies. Also, there’s a local family shelter in my area that is alway looking for teen/YA books for their bigger kids. Find out what your local organizations need.
6. Prisons.
Until I started researching this article, it had never occurred to me to donate books to the corrections system. I know not everyone will agree, but I think this is a wonderful idea. Take note that frequently they’ll only accept paperback book donations.
Check out this map and click on your state — prison books programs throughout North America (Google map).
Specific programs.
Prison Book Program of Quincy, Massachusetts
Books to Prisoners of Seattle, Washington;
Books Through Bars of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Prison Book Project of Amherst, Massachusetts.
Women’s Prison Book Project of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Chicago Books to Women in Prison.
7. Other great ideas.
Set them free! Book Crossing is a really fun idea. Go to Book Crossing’s website to download their labels, create your own custom labels, or order labels from them then fill it out, register your book online, then leave it in a public space and see if anyone else registers it. http://www.bookcrossing.com
Milk and Bookies A nationwide charitable organization that inspires children to give back, using books as its currency. If your child has a birthday coming up and doesn’t feel the need to receive 30+ new toys, then Milk and Bookies can show you how to host a party where your child collects books for charities.
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For more organizations and charities with a book/literacy focus in the US and Canada, this is a very useful list on The Reading Tub’s wiki page about Literacy Organizations.
Also, the American Library Association has a useful list at Book Donation Programs.
Jun 06, 2011 @ 20:02:09
Great post! Thanks for all the info!
Aug 09, 2011 @ 18:46:05
Thank you for this wonderfully informative post! We treat our books very gently and hate to part with them, but alas, they do get outgrown. We much prefer they go on to give someone else joy then gather dust in our attic but are often unsure how to find homes for them. Now we have a great list of choices!
Jan 29, 2012 @ 15:44:46
So glad you found the book donating information useful!
Donating books - Seven places that want your used books. | BlogZygo.com
Sep 24, 2011 @ 07:46:13
[...] of Seattle, Washington; Books Through Bars of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Prison Book Project of Amherst, Massachusetts. Women’s Prison Book [...]
Oct 19, 2012 @ 16:23:00
Dear sir/Madam,
We are a non profit and non governmental organization based in Buea Cameroon. We are currently working with the Buea central prison penitentiary program and the juvenile correction centre –Borstal institute to rehabilitate, transform, reeducate and improve on the socio-economic and socio –cultural welfare of the inmates, juvenile delinquents, street children and orphans in this two institution in Buea.
We are currently carrying out literacy classes, pastoral services, vocational trainings and prison farm establishment.
We are interested for technical support (international volunteers, books and publications) cloths, wheel chairs for handicapped shoes, drugs and farming tools. This program will go a long way to break the cycle of crimes and poverty in the Buea local communities. For more information visit our website at http://www.incenecdev.org prison reforms.
We look forward hearing from you.
Kind Regards,
Fongoh Eric,
Executive Director,
ICENECDEV.
Dec 03, 2012 @ 21:36:23
I liked seeing Liesel’s pecvreptise because everything I read about this subject before was from a Jewish person or American soldier’s pecvreptise. It is interesting to see how kids grow up to form opinions and how people can only keep them to themselves so much. Sometimes it is too painful not to be kind! If you like this book, you should read The Red Scarf Girl too. It deals with similar issues for a girl coming of age in communist China who is torn between the values of her family and the values she is learning in school and society. This book also reminded me of Skellig in a way because I kept thinking that Max was like the weird, magical man who the kids found in the shed. If they do make it a movie, I hope that Jean-Pierre Jeunet directs it and it looks something like City of the Lost Children !
Jan 10, 2013 @ 01:17:09
DIVINE MERCY BOOKSHOP
P.O. BOX 806-20300
NYAHURURU
KENYA
09.01.2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
REF: REQUEST FOR DONATION OF RELIGIOUS BOOKS AND LIBRARY FACILITIES:
Divine Mercy Bookshop is a Christian bookshop, situated in a small town (Mairo-inya), four miles from Nyahururu town, Central province of Kenya. It was established in August last year with a primary objective of spreading the gospel i.e. Bibles, inspirational books, religious dvd’s, audio bibles and other items were made available.
During the past few months that we have been operational, there has been such positive feedback from the Christians appreciating our efforts in bringing Christian literature to the grassroots level. There has been a loud out cry for the presence of a religious/educational library. Which can provide people who are not in a position to purchase books or bibles to have access to them at a very low fee.
The bookshop which provides a service for 20 churches in area – has had an overwhelming appeal for more literature. This little bookshop has made such a positive impact on the community of the area, young and old. The youth which just idled around aimlessly, due to the lack of employment which resulted in them engaging in bad behaviour, have also found their way to the bookshop, where they can have their cv’s typed and their applications forwarded for their job applications via email.
Clearly the need to have an E-library (Bookshop) or alternatively to grow the bookshop with more books and material that Christians are requesting, due to the lack of funds we don’t have in store. We are kindly appealing that you or your organization consider assisting in donating various religious books, educational books, books of health, and books on self development, encyclopaedia and other facilities that will help us expand our existing out reach service. In this way we will be able to offer a much greater support to the ten schools in the area with the educational books.
These books you donate will be hired out at a very small fee, the income generated will help us pay a staff member, rent for the library and help us to purchase a photo copy machine and a generator, an additional computer and printer for those who will need use to google for school projects and many may use this facility as a place where they can study when there are power outages as they occur weekly.
In quest to not only uplift the community but also to spread the gospel, all for the greater glory of God.
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
We will endeavour to provide you with regular updates on our mission.
Donated books maybe posted to:
Christopher M Mburu
Divine Mercy Bookshop
P.Box 806 2300
Nyahururu
Kenya
P.S. please indicate that they are religious books on the postage slip or else the cost for customs will be to outrages.
Yours faithfully in Christ:
Christopher Mburu
Cell no: +254724535289
Email address: chriscomly@yahoo.com