Donations to the Library

Greetings!

Most of us get books donated to our libraries from well-meaning sources. People clean out their bookshelves and can’t bear to throw away ‘good’ books, but maybe the school library can use them. No matter that the print is tiny, the book is thick, there are few if any illustrations, and it was printed in 1943, the school might want it. Or they are culling their own children’s books and donating ones that their kids have outgrown and no longer read or want.
Don’t get me wrong; you will find some treasures, but you will also find items that aren’t needed for your school. What do you do when a dear church member or parent brings books to donate? Here’s my answer to these well meaning folk. I give the following speech in a friendly way. “Thank you so much for thinking of us. I’ll enjoy looking through them and see if there is anything that the library needs. If there are books that we don’t need, is it OK with you if I find a classroom or other source for the books, or do you want me to give you back the ones that we can’t use?” Nearly always they are happy for me to share them around. So, I then look through and pull out what I want for the library. I have a shelf of books that I occasionally use for prizes and I pull books for that shelf. I may see something that the Kindergarten class could use or another classroom and I pull for them. Any books that are missing covers or pages go into the recycling bin. Anything that is left that I can’t share around or no one wants also goes into the recycling bin. Maybe our dear friend can’t throw away books, but I can and if they don’t know it, they won’t be offended.

What if the book is in pretty good condition but is not appropriate for you library or you already have a copy? You likely have a used book store that will accept it and will give you money or credit to use for books that do fit your library.

Depending on the content of the book, you could keep it for a prize, sell it at school and put the money in a petty cash box, or throw it away. Don’t be afraid of the trash can.

Do you need more National Geographic magazines? If so, then accept them. If not, don’t accept them, or find a craft that uses old magazines. I remember making Christmas trees out of old Reader’s Digest magazines long ago. Find another use for them if you must take them. These can also be recycled.

What about other donations? Does anyone want to donate toys or plush animals? These may be great for display. Put a plush dog on a table or counter and surround him with dog books. I had a parent donate a small set of buildings and I found that they were made for the Sarah, Plain and Tall book. I put a display of Patricia MacLachlan’s books out and put these building around to supplement my display.

Donations can be a wonderful asset to your library. I hope you receive some wonderful books. Have a great week.
Audrey