#149 How to donate books, Pt. 1

When I was a librarian, this was my “dream donor:”

Contacted me with his offer.
Supplied a list of author/title/date.
I returned the list with my selection.
He brought the books in his clean, sweet smelling truck to the loading dock.

Unfortunately, dream donors don’t come along often. Usually it went like this:

Grandson about 50 years old showed up at the library.
Had cleaned out the hay loft of the barn.
Found grandpa’s old, moldy, dirty books from vet school in 1920.
Was positive these were of value because they were old.
Wanted staff to help unload his car, not very clean and not parked very close.

When I received a large number of book donations or had withdrawn them from service (called de-acquisitioning in library-speak), I was not allowed to sell them from the office/library. I sent them to the Friends of the Libraries Book Sale. But one year I had such a fabulous group of titles, I had my assistant run an author/title list which I sent to the various faculty members who were collectors of veterinary titles. That way they knew what to look for when they got to the sale (many thousands of books and hundreds of buyers), plus they could look up the bibliographic details ahead of time.

How to donate books, Pt. 2

Here’s what I would recommend for someone who loves his books, has treated them well, and wants to find them a loving home (you wouldn’t drown your kittens--books deserve the same care), preferably in a library collection.

Make an author/title list, looking at each book and sorting as you go (keep, don’t keep).
Say good-bye and thank them for their many years of service as you handle them the final time.
Send the list to interested parties (nieces, nephews, children, friends, etc.) with a deadline for response.
Delete selected titles if any are chosen and then send the list to the librarian of your chosen library.
Box up her selections and deliver the books either personally or by UPS.

Once you’ve got your list, you just might, if looking for something to do, go to www.abe.com to see the going rate for these titles, which will give you an estimate for your taxes (donation). I did this for a yard sale one summer, and placed the information inside the book. In all cases I got more than the $1 most hard covers go for at yard sales. One little railroad pamphlet turned out to be quite valuable. Most libraries will not give an estimate of value, but should supply you with a form that tells how many you donated.