Sending Books to Needy Libraries: Book Donation Programs

ALA Library Fact Sheet 12

Please be aware that the American Library Association does not accept or distribute donations of books or any other materials. This page provides information on some of the groups and organizations that do handle book donations -- including donations of used books.

A longer list, continuously updated by ALA Library staff, of the groups and organizations that handle book donations, for distribution within or outside the United States, appears on the social bookmarking web site, delicious.com, specifically at:
http://delicious.com/alalibrary/bookdonations

Do not hesitate to contact any of these groups directly to find out their needs and procedures, drop-off points and shipping addresses.

Groups and organizations are named for informational purposes only.

* If you actually need book donations, you may be eligible to apply for donations from the groups named. Contact the groups directly for application information and eligibility criteria.


Book Donations in the United States

Most public libraries in the United States accept gift books with the proviso that the library is free to decide whether to keep the book in the library's collection, put it in a book sale to raise funds for the library, or discard it. Persons seeking to donate books to libraries are encouraged to contact their local library and ask about donating books to it.

We also suggest contacting your state library. Your local public library or an academic library in your area can supply you with the address and telephone number for your state library (often a toll-free call for in-state residents). Or see the State Library Web Sites web page compiled by the state of Wisconsin.

There are private groups that distribute book donations -- but only distribute new books; donations of used books are not accepted -- within the United States, including the following:

Books for Kids (formerly known as Books for Kids Foundation; formerly at booksforkidsfoundation.org)
http://www.booksforkids.org
Books for Kids in New York creates and furnishes libraries within existing children's centers; see the list of libraries helped by Books for Kids. As stated on its web site: We enable children who may not have access to a public library to discover the world of books. We purchase and donate library bound books to create an actual lending program to familiarize children with standard practices. Each library is created with an age-appropriate collection which includes the core group of standard titles recommended by the Department of Education and early childhood literacy experts. Books are carefully selected to reflect the backgrounds and life experiences of the children in that community. Libraries include child friendly chairs and tables, colorful carpets, listening centers, puppets, motivational posters and more. These unique environments grant the opportunity to an early learning process that will lay the groundwork for their future success. Our libraries and programs encourage children to explore, think, discover, and learn. Write to e-mail address info@booksforkids.org for further details to donate new books or provide funds for new books or to apply for a library or apply for books.

The Libri Foundation
http://www.librifoundation.org
As explained on its web site, the Libri Foundation is a nationwide non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in Eugene, OR, which donates new, quality, hardcover children's books to small, rural public libraries in the United States through its BOOKS FOR CHILDREN program. Please address all correspondence to Ms. Barbara J. McKillip, President, to e-mail address libri@librifoundation.org. Libri supplies various online financial giving opportunities and also maintains the Libri Foundation's Wishlist on Amazon.com for its library recipients.


For publishers only:

First Book National Book Bank
1319 F Street, NW; Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004-1155
Phone: 1-866-READ-NOW (1-866-732-3669)
Website: http://www.firstbook.org
First Book Help Page with Contact Information; email: help@firstbook.org


Book Donations to Countries Overseas

There are several organizations that distribute books to other countries. Many of these organizations distribute books overseas at no cost to the donating person or library other than shipping costs to the U.S. facility.


For publishers only:

International Book Bank
Post Office Box 1662
Baltimore, MD 21203
Website: http://www.internationalbookbank.org
Donating Books - http://www.internationalbookbank.org/donatebooks.html; Contact Page


Used Books and Library Discards

Please first see the web page Donate Books to Support Libraries from ALA's ALTAFF, the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, a division of ALA:

If you have books to donate, first contact your local public library. Some libraries have donation guidelines posted on their website, others you will need to contact by phone. Your local library can provide acceptable donation guidelines.

If your library is not currently accepting donations and you are willing to pay shipping, we invite you to donate to our non-profit organization. In partnership with ALTAFF, Better World Books is accepting pre-paid book donation shipments from the general public. Saleable donations will be made available for sale on more than 17 online marketplaces. Proceeds from the sale benefit ALTAFF. Non-saleable items will be made available to a nonprofit literacy partner or recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.

Remember, not all books have a resale value on the internet; therefore, we encourage you to follow our guidelines under Easy to Sell (please ship) and Difficult to Sell (please do not ship).


If you are looking to donate a set of encyclopedia that is older than ten-years-old, contact Book Rescue of SCARCE, School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education; e-mail: ecoed@sbcglobal.net.

If you are looking to donate magazines, contact the Donational Program of the United States Book Exchange (USBE); e-mail: usbe@usbe.com.

If you are looking specifically to donate back issues of National Geographic, contact either:


Organizations that are open to accepting donations of used books from individuals or groups include:


With a little extra effort, including registering with their web sites for further instructions, you can donate books, DVDs, and video games to members of the armed forces serving overseas:


Most important is to contact the groups listed beforehand, to find out what kind of books they need and are hoping to receive for distribution.


Organizations that are open to accepting donations of discards from library collections include:

The Donational Program of the United States Book Exchange (USBE) accepts duplicate and surplus periodicals and serials; e-mail: usbe@usbe.com.

Further information on library discards is available on the Collection Evaluation -- and De-Selection (Weeding) page of the ALA Professional Tips Wiki. Information on weeding is available on ALA Library Fact Sheet Number 15 - Weeding Library Collections: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for Library Collection Evaluation.


Last updated: May 2011


For more information on this or other fact sheets, contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795.