Comments on: [TSS] Reducing My Stacks of Books: Ideas Needed

By: Jen - Devourer of Books

Jen - Devourer of Books — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:14:02 +0000

How about shelters or warming centers? I’m in the process of culling a lot of books. Some I sold to a used bookstore, some I gave away to other bloggers, some I took to Goodwill, and I just gave 100-150 to a friend for her church’s warming center where persons who are homeless come to get a meal and warm up for a bit. She told me that some of the men who come read just about anything they can get their hands on and are always looking for something new.
Jen – Devourer of Books´s last blog ..Dream House – Book Review

By: BananaViews

BananaViews — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:13:39 +0000

Schools might be interested in your magazines for their art classes. And try the Red Door Shelter and places like that that take in women with children. Maybe even Woodgreen as an angle or senior’s homes might be a thought too.
BananaViews´s last blog ..Hot For Pho House

By: Belle

Belle — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:48:36 +0000

Thanks, everyone – these are fabulous ideas. I’ll make up a list and start calling around – I think I should find at least a few places that might like a few books. And I have stacks and stacks of magazines, too – I might find a home for them, too.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:41:40 +0000

Bernadette reminded me of Ronald McDonald houses for families who have someone in the hospital long term. Are they in Canada as well? We donated children’s books (my beloved childhood friends) to the Boys and Girls Club near here which makes me think of the YMCA and YWCA who might have a use for books. The Friends of the Libraries at Binghamton Univ. has a giant book sale annually and a bookshop staffed by volunteers. Perhaps a univ. near you has the same? Good luck – I know how hard it is to give your books away.
Barbara´s last blog ..DEEP CREEK by Dana Hand

By: Ladytink_534

Ladytink_534 — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:41:54 +0000

You could also do Ebay by book series.
Ladytink_534´s last blog ..Rehvenge is Sweet

By: Bernadette in Australia

Bernadette in Australia — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:35:43 +0000

It seems everyone’s got the same ideas as me – find local places that have residential or drop-in clients and donate them. Certainly women’s and homeless shelters, also youth drop in centres, palliative care units, even hospitals etc. One place that I donate books to locally is a hotel that is run in our city for people who have to come here from rual areas for long term hospital treatment (e.g. someone from a rural area has to have 6 or 12 weeks of chemotherapy and so have to ‘move’ to the city for it because the treatment is not available locally but they’re not sick enough to stay in the hospital but are a bit too sick to do much else besides sit). I’ve donated loads of books to them over the years and they are very very grateful (they also take DVDs for the same reason). Lots of cities have places like this.
Bernadette in Australia´s last blog ..Crime Fiction Alphabet – P is for Postmortem

By: Nan

Nan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:36:20 +0000

You could try checking with your local hospital. Sometimes they take books for patients to read. Local shelters could probably use them too (homeless shelters, women’s and family shelters).
Nan´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: Red Clover Nominees (February 7, 2010)

By: diane

diane — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:39:53 +0000

Nursing Homes and Senior Citizen Centers here accept used books as does charity organizations such as The salvation Army and Good Will Stores.
diane´s last blog ..Sunday Salon – February 7th

By: rhapsodyinbooks

rhapsodyinbooks — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:50:45 +0000

I like the idea of Women’s Shelters too, although ours where I live doesn’t take many donations because they don’t have enough volunteers to deal with them. I also tried to take some books to a nursing home, which rejected them: “not enough space.” We do now have boxes around town asking for books as part of a Literacy Project, so if there is something like that where you live, some sort of literacy movement, they might want the books and I would think they would definitely use them. But I can totally relate; it’s very frustrating to want to donate wonderful items, only to find you can’t reach the people who might want or need them!
rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of “A Dog At Sea” by J. F. Englert

By: CBJames

CBJames — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:24:16 +0000

I’m shocked to hear that your library doesn’t have a “Friends of the Library” group running a book sale. I think every library in California, where I live, has one. I hope it’s because your community supports the library so well that they don’t need to have book sales. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in Ca.

Doesn’t Bookmooch has a section that lists charitable donations? I use Paperbackswap so I’m not sure.

I just gave a bag of books to my local bookstore, a small independant. I know that sounds crazy, but smaller bookstores can use all the help we can give them. I love them and want them to be around forever, so I donated to their used book section. Most used bookstores tell people that anything they don’t buy they can donate for you. If you have a used bookstore in your area they might have some ideas regarding local groups that take used books.
CBJames´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: What’s New In Young Adult Literature 2010