Donating Books has Gotten Hard — But Not Impossible 

Why does it seem that more places no longer take used books? 

September 13, 2024
2 min read

Books are more than just pages, bindings, and glue; they are vessels of knowledge, adventure, and emotion. But once they have given you all of their worth, you may want to donate them to others. Unfortunately, that noble effort is becoming more and more difficult.  

Why does it seem that more places no longer take used books? 

Many libraries and thrift shops are refusing book donations due to lack of space. Often operating in buildings where every square foot is valuable, libraries cannot store endless stacks of books. In carefully managing their collections, libraries ensure they have room for new acquisitions, popular materials, and the space needed for programming and community activities. 

Donated books are not simply placed on a shelf. It takes staff and resources to process the donations, which are carefully inspected for quality — those with torn pages, broken spines, or markings are unusable, as are outdated or duplicate books. This time-consuming quality-control process causes many institutions to halt donations altogether. 

COVID-19 further complicated book donations. Heightened concerns about sanitation and reduced staff forced many organizations to temporarily suspended operations to minimize risk. Although the pandemic has subsided, many libraries have continued restrictions due to the ongoing strain on resources. 

On top of that, as E-books and audiobooks gain popularity, donated books, particularly older titles, often are less likely to be borrowed or bought.  

Rye Free Reading Room Director Chris Shoemaker said Rye’s local library is no exception to these changing circumstances.  

“We get almost as many books donated as we purchase in a year,” he said. “Because of lack of space and staff time, we cannot sort donations week by week. But potential book donors can take advantage of the library’s once-a-year used books collection drive, which takes place the week leading up to our Annual Book Sale.”  

“I think it makes a tremendous difference to the community to have everyone come together for a weekend of browsing and shopping — a literary-focused Sidewalk Sale,” Shoemaker said.   

If you missed the Rye Free Reading Room’s donation window, additional local charities and nonprofits that accept book donations are listed on the Rye Free Reading Room’s website under the tab “Where to Donate Used Books.” Included are organizations such as The Big Brothers and Sisters of Westchester, in Port Chester; The Salvation Army, which does pickups, and Green Drop in White Plains, which is affiliated with the American Red Cross. The American Library Association lists additional book donation programs on its website, including how to donate to prison libraries. 

One can also explore online platforms that facilitate book donations. Better World Books accepts used books and sells them to support global literacy initiatives. Another is BookMooch (bookmooch.com), a community that allows members to give away books in exchange for points that can be used to request books from others. 

There are still ways for your books to find new homes — personal networks can be effective too. Host a book swap with friends or organize a book exchange with another book club!  

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