eaglei Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 What does your public library do with discarded/withdrawn library books? I see where some tend to recycle them, as they do not tend to sell at used book sales (which boggles my mind . . .) and because thrift stores no longer seem to want them. It makes me kinda sick to think of these books going to recycling. I am not referring to old books that are falling apart. I am referring to books still in very good condition, including children's books, whose only "problem" is lack of sufficient circulation numbers. Aren't there some schools anywhere that could use them? I can't imagine that every single school in America has a well-stocked library. What does your library do with its discards? I am looking for suggestions only . . . :-) Don't want to start a discourse on the rightness or wrongness of whether to recycle the books . . . :-) Thank You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 We have buck a bag sales with early admission for Friends of the Library members. That is the only reason why I can afford to have such an extensive home library for my final child. I have also been able to buy many other libraries' discards inexpensively through Better World Books when my own library doesn't have a particular title that I need. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Our library has a separate room for the sale of books that are discarded and donated-- that is why I have such and extensive home library. I think the prolific amount of books has led to them being devalued. Also so many books out there are crap and should be discarded. Not all books, but just because it is printed word does not make it valuable or something to be saved for posterity. My library was getting rid of books the other day-- off to the shredder, but they had been in the bookstore for 6 months and no one bought them. Then I looked at them-- lots of '70s cookbooks and out of date travel guides, children's books about pop stars -- I wouldn't want that stuff taking up space either. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 They sell what they can and discard the rest. Books become outdated. Books wear out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SproutMamaK Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Some of the places my old library branch used to direct books to (bear in mind this was in Canada and about 15 years ago, so not sure what bylaws may affect donations in your area): -Habitat for Humanity, they were used to build up home libraries in homes that were being moved in to. (adult fiction & non-fiction)-local pregnancy centres and food banks for children's books (adult & children's fiction) -inner city schools. (children's non-fiction)-youth centres (biographies)Not everything could be donated, but there were options for a LOT of them. Of course the library had a discarded book sale before they gave the books away, and books that were in bad condition weren't sold donated to charity. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Our library has a permanent sale area, and then periodic bigger sales. I am quite sure they have to recycle a lot of books. People take all kinds of crazy stuff - ancient, outdated computer/software books, books there are a billion copies of in circulation. Sometimes I wonder how many sets of Little House books there are in the world. It would seem like a library/school partnership would be a good idea, but schools can't take everything that might be on offer. A lot of it is junk fiction, especially romance. Nobody wants that. ETA: not to imply that all romance is junk fiction. Some is, some isn't. The point is, schools don't want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 When I've run a book sale, I've discovered that there are many, many books that no one wants. You just can't give some of this stuff away. Even though it looked good to me, I couldn't get charities or libraries or anyone to take a lot of the stuff. Eventually you just have to accept that fact. We did donate a ton of leftovers to other non profit sales, library sales, prison programs, day cares, low income kids' programs, VA programs etc. I took a bunch to Half Price Books. They bought a bunch (and recycled some when I wasn't looking). I also gave a lot of the older ones to someone who volunteered to sell them on ebay. She put them up. I don't think any of them ever sold, even though there were similar ones where people were asking 50-100 dollars. One issue is that we didn't have the capacity to do the recycling. The city would only take so much from our bin. A couple years, there was a guy who would haul it all away, sell a few, and recycle the rest, but then the price he got for the recycled books dropped and he stopped doing it. A lot of them, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your perspective) are now lining our walls. I'll take a book in any condition if it's something I want to read, so we were often the last station for a lot of these. And a bunch of those I eventually put out in front of our house for free. A fair number of them did walk off with people who wanted them. Thing is, none of these were "junk" as far as content was concerned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 But, in answer to your original question, our library actually maintains a store where they sell a lot of books that are in good condition. Each of the branches has sales several times a year. They sell a lot of books. And then they still have a lot leftover. But these aren't all books that the library originally purchased. A lot are donations. Everyone else is trying to get rid of books too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Every year right after school lets out, there is a huge used library book sale where discarded and donated books are sold. It is a three day sale and day three is always fill $1 bag day. The first weekend of December the library again hosts a book sale with good condition books that would make great gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 We sell them several ways: online, permanent little "bookstore", huge book sale once per year. We also invite charities to come take what they want the last day of the sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Our "friends of the library" group sells them to raise money for the educational programs put on there. Donations are also sold. I've heard that a number of people that buy the books resell them on Amazon and ebay for profit, so the recently published ones in great shape sell quickly. The final two hours of the sale, books are sold for $5 a bag. There are usually a bunch of hardback classics left at that point, and I clean up. ;) Whatever is left over stays on the carts until the next sale several months later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 A book is just paper. Sometimes, the words on the paper are awesome, sometimes not. Recycling a book isn't much different than recycling the newspaper. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 My library does the biannual big book sales, and also has a permanent sale room (we have a large, two-story library http://gailborden.info/about-the-library/main-library ) I buy my favorite authors, used, from Amazon and have gotten a great many used library books sent to me! So either libraries - or wise patrons - are selling them used via Amazon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Our local library system has a book sale on the first Thursday of every month, they also have a semi-annual book sale. There is also a HUGE used book sale that is done by the local literacy association. I went last year and was shocked by the size, I filled out the holes in my Pern collection. :lol: They also had several food trucks present including a cupcake truck. Used books and cupcakes is a good day. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Our library runs a little used bookstore that is partially discards, partially donations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 A book is just paper. Sometimes, the words on the paper are awesome, sometimes not. Recycling a book isn't much different than recycling the newspaper. I love this times a million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 My library sells them at a used book sale and then donates any unsold books to a local thrift store that is still accepting them. The bulk of them actually do sell at the book sale though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 OP, to answer you, we trash them. The local recycling center won't take them and no one buys them. What few children's books our library weeds are offered the school, but they don't want them either. Used books and cupcakes is a good day.But were there kilts? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 OP, to answer you, we trash them. The local recycling center won't take them and no one buys them. What few children's books our library weeds are offered the school, but they don't want them either. But were there kilts? I think there was a guy in a utilikilt actually. :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Ours does the huge annual sale thing. It's $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardcovers, I think. The problem with donating appropriate books to schools is that not all schools have space or, in some areas like Philadelphia, librarians. :crying: Young kids' books also get more wear from rough handling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 You could possibly donate them to the International Book Project. If you aren't in the area, I'm not sure how that works though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Ours has a big sale every year and what doesn't get sold gets sent to recycling. Usually, there isn't too much that goes to recycling -- maybe 2 or 3 medium-sized boxes full. Our library does have a rule, though, that they will not accept library discards back as donations (they also don't take Reader's Digest condensed books or Harlequin or other series romances). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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