I am in the dilemma, once again, of what to do with the piles and piles of books around my room. I want to weed them out before I move into the ADU in the backyard in late January. So, I need ideas. (Don't be shy - post your ideas in the comments!)
I have found some pathways already, and I'll share them below for those who would like to pare down their collection. I will update the list as I receive more ideas.
*********************************
This is one of several organizations that donates and ships books to prisoners; it is based in the SF Bay Area. Here are some of the things they need:
- dictionaries of all kinds (including ASL sign language); also thesauruses, & almanacs.
- how-to books: construction, gardening, drawing, etc.
- books on African-American, Latino, and Native American history and culture
- books on business, self-help, politics, psychology, philosophy, science, mathematics
- fiction by or about people of color
- good quality detective, sci-fi & fantasy fiction paperbacks & Westerns
- books on meditation, yoga, and bodyweight exercises
Their site also has a list of what they will not accept. As is true with most of these programs, you need to contact them ahead of time (which is a good idea anyway, with the current pandemic situation...) It is possible to drop off books for them; the contact info and address is on the website but do CALL FIRST.
More info on this type of program can be found here:
*********************************
This organization ships books directly to Africa. They have specific needs; here's a list (this and more info is on their website):Acceptable books are gently used and relevant to an African reader.
Books For Africa accepts:
- popular fiction and nonfiction reading books (soft and hard cover).
- books that are 15 years old or newer.
- primary, secondary, and college textbooks (soft and hard cover) published in the last 15 years.
- reference books published in the last 10 years, except encyclopedia sets.
- medical, nursing, and IT books published in the last 10 years.
- some Bibles or religious books, please place them in a box separate from other donations and mark the box as “Religious texts.” Bibles are sent only when requested by African recipients.
- School/office supplies—paper, pencils, pens, wall charts, maps, etc.
Books For Africa does NOT accept:
- Encyclopedia sets
- Magazines or journals of any kind, including academic journals.
- Home decorating or wedding books.
- Cookbooks.
- Ethnocentric books, such as the biography of Abraham Lincoln or the history of Ohio.
- Foreign language books except for French books. French novels and dictionaries are welcome.
- American history or civics.
- Music books for K–12.
- Murder mysteries or anything with “kill,” “die,” “murder,” etc. in the title.
If you mail books, please do not send boxes that weight more than 50 pounds and do not include any non-recyclable packing materials such as plastic bubble wrap or peanuts. Books For Africa cannot allocate funds for the mailing or shipping of book donations to our warehouses. This helps us keep our operating costs lower so that we can ship more and more books to students who need them.Interested in donating law books? View our law book donation requirements, or learn more about BFA's Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative!
*********************************
Friends of the Oakland Public Library - The Bookmark Bookstore
Here's a list of what they accept and don't accept:
Items That Sell Best:
- Brand new books
- Used books in very good or better condition
- Rare, vintage/collectible books
- Author-signed books
- First editions
- Classics, popular titles, and esoteric subjects
- Topical political books
- Hardcovers
- Large softcovers
- Jigsaw puzzles (complete)
- DVDs
- CDs (audio and music)
- LPs (in good to excellent condition – Classic Rock, Jazz and Classical categories)
Items We Cannot Accept:
- Any books in generally less than very good condition
- Books with underlining and highlighting
- Books with signs of heavy use or long-term storage
- Out of date medical, legal, travel (2 years or older)
- Older business, investment or economics books
- Computer books (more than 1-year-old)
- Textbooks
- Encyclopedia sets
- Romance novels
- Incomplete sets
- Magazines
- Comic books
- Cassette tapes
- VHS cassettes
*********************************
This is an excellent place to donate (and buy!) books. They've been around for awhile, so they have their ducks in a row. They support Books for Africa, whose info is above. For every book someone buys, they donate one book. They also recycle and have a sustainable model.
No comments:
Post a Comment