What do you do with books you own after you've read them?

[jaxnsmom]

I know some people keep all of their books, while others pass them to friends or donate them. What do you do?

[❂ Murder by Death]

I keep most of my books, I don't have a guest room so much as I have a library! :) But I do cull about twice a year. My rule is I'll only keep books I'll read again.

My biggest challenge is finding a home for the culled books. Libraries here won't take them and none of my RL friends read what I read. I tried ebay, but not much luck there either... Bookmooch works but gets expensive with shipping costs from oz...

[Rhea]

I only buy books that I will re-read. However, I do end up with books as gifts and while I hate to get rid of them, I do donate them to the library. When I was a student I would sell them for credit or cash at a second hand bookstore.

[Barb, Co-Moderator Challenge Expert]

I either pass books on to family/friends or donate them to our Friends of the Library group for their book sales. Sometimes they end up being snagged to add to the library collection instead of being placed out for sale, which is even better :)

[Christina]

I either donate them to the library or see if my sister wants them. Most of them go to the library though because her taste in books is different than mine.

[Ann]

I used to do Paperback Swap and Book Mooch and then it got too complicated! Then our local GoodWill moved to a new, larger building and I realized they had used books! So now when I get an empty box, I fill it with books as I read them and when the box is full it goes to the Good Will! Saves me from having yardsales too!

[Iamabibliophile]

I always donate my magazines and books to my library.

[jaxnsmom]

I used to donate my books to the library or a Goodwill type of place, but I've discovered other places that can use them just as much. A few weeks ago I took a bunch of bags to an area chemo center. They were so glad to get them. Other places are the various shelters for abused women, children, transitional homes, the homeless, Hospice - your local United Way is a great way to find places.

I think it's great that so many people donate their books! I like to think of someone reading a book I enjoyed.

As an aside, have any of you signed up for World Book Night? I'm waiting to see if I get picked. The deadline to apply has been extended to January 25th. I urge you to check it outif you haven't.

http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/

[Melodie]

I have a friend in CT who has been part of World Book Night for a couple of years. She loves doing it. I keep very few of my books. Has to be something I really loved that I think I might reread someday. I turn most of my books back around on eBay. Great way to keep the money flowing so I can buy more! Some I put on Paperbackswap, but not many as I can never find anything on there I want. I also give some to Goodwill. I like the idea of giving them to chemo centers and am going to look into that idea.

[Nancy]

Some books I keep others I donate to the library, goodwill or pass on to my sister or cousins.

[Lisa]

I keep them all....hopefully I will not be featured on an episode of Hoarders...but I love them all and cannot part with them....I love the covers...they are so cute....I will just have to start getting rid of some of my hubbys things to make room for my cozies...LOL....

[jaxnsmom]

Lisa - I used to be that way, but after several moves, they just became too much. I'll keep an eye out for you on Hoarders ☺

[Melodie]

Lisa wrote: "I keep them all....hopefully I will not be featured on an episode of Hoarders...but I love them all and cannot part with them....I love the covers...they are so cute....I will just have to start ge..."

Part of the reason I don't keep very many anymore. A few years ago my books were in danger of taking over my house. I was unemployed for about 6 months and took stock of all the crap in my house and decided I needed to do something about it! With my books and the other stuff we needed to get rid of, with my unemployment and what I was pulling in on eBay every month I was making more than when I was working at the previous job! Nice work and I got rid of TONS of stuff! (Some of my books sold for tidy little sums, too!)

[Denise]

I keep most books, but those I can part with, I try to pass along to friends, and if they don't want them, I donate them to the library. There are a couple of charities that occasionally call and want to pick stuff up, and I recently left out ten bags full for one of them, including whatever books I had on hand to donate. Got rid of dozens of VHS tapes, too!

[Estelle]

I read epubs so it's not a big problem

[AngryGreyCat]

I usually donate bags to our library. if they are relatively new then I give them to the desk and they catalog them and put them on the shelf. If they are older or not as in great shape, I give them to the Friends for the book sales.

[Nell]

I recycle books in 3 ways:
I post them on www.booksfreeswap.com If someone wants the book, s/he pays postage and I ship it to another reader.
I trade them at my local used book store and get credits for other gently used books
Or I donate them to the literacy program in my area. They have a free library where anyone can come and take books.

There are very few books that I hold onto once I've read them.

[jaxnsmom]

I like the idea of the literacy program. I'll have to check my area to see if there's a place to donate books.

[Kristin]

For the most part, I'm like Rhea. I usually only buy books that I plan to reread. Sometimes I'll pick up books at the Friends of the Library sale. Some of those will wind up back at the next Friends of the Library sale.

[❂ Murder by Death]

I've been inspired by reading this thread, and on a whim, searched Friends of the Library Australia and it turns out we DO have the organization here - it's just not very widespread. Searching my state, Victoria, turns up two that are within 30 minutes of me, so I've sent them emails asking about donation information. Hopefully, I'll have a library to donate books to! yay!!

[jaxnsmom]

That's great news Jennifer! Maybe the other libraries will have a greater selection of books for you too!

[Joan]

I tend to keep them, but now, with space becoming limited, I'm culling them out, passing them on. I also buy more ebooks now.

Joan K. Maze

[Robin (Saturndoo)]

I don't keep books after they have been read. I don't like to do re-reads simply because once I start reading I remember what happens and I can't stay focused on the book and that's a waste of my time. The only books I might re-read are ones that I read years and years ago when I was in school and even then some of those I remember and can't re-read. I live in a tiny village with a tiny library so I donate a lot of my books there so they can build up/add to their collection. If the library can't use the books then they will donate them to the church which has a literacy program headed by their missionary programs.Sometimes I will take books to the used bookstore and get credit to buy more books (but that isn't often). Sometimes I will pass them on to thrift stores.

[Sara]

I agree with Robin. I don't keep books after they have been read. I either donate to the libary, post on paperbackswap, trade them for credit at the local bookstore or I take them to the hospital to the recovery ward. Several years ago, I was thankful for the discovery of the waiting room with a bookcase full!

[Melissa]

I only keep a few books after I have read them, ( and share those with family and friends )
After Im done reading books, I either post to Paperbackswap, trade at a local used book store or donate my books to Goodwill.

Ive been planning on donating some books to my local Nursing Home. Love all the donation ideas!

[Robin (Saturndoo)]

I have in the past sent books to my GR friends/Group Members which I don't mind doing. I love for my books to go to a home where I know they will be read and possibly passed on to another reader ☺

[[deleted user]]

jaxnsmom wrote: "I know some people keep all of their books, while others pass them to friends or donate them. What do you do?"

I usually donate them. Thanks for the reminder. A donation truck is going to be in my area this week. I need to weed some books off my bookshelf.

[Mary Beth]

I do 3 things......1- pass mysteries on to friends to enjoy. 2- donate to library and charity stores. 3- sell at Half Price Books. Number 3 is my favorite. I will never get rich, but an afternoon spent at HPB, makes me so happy searching through the stacks for "new" mysteries I have never heard of. Book lovers heaven! Usually, I spend much more than I ever make selling my books, but it is a thrill discovering new to me authors.

[[deleted user]]

If I like the book, I will keep it. I reread books constantly, especially the "series" types.
Books not liked are given to the library for their annual book sale.
Any large print that I find are given to the local senior center.

[jaxnsmom]

Kathrine - that's a good idea of designating large print books to the senior center.

[Melissa]

Katherine, I love the idea of donating to your local senior center! =)

[Sharon]

I am a college librarian who used to give my books to students and faculty. Then I got a Kindle. Now I put them in the Cloud when I am done.

[Connie N.]

Since I am much more comfortable with large print books, I only order from the large library system in my area or on my Kindle where I can change the font size. No muss, no fuss!

[Karen]

I used to keep them all (because I love books!!). That changed with a couple of things...

1. I had to move everything from one room to another. I found books I hadn't read along with some I knew I'd never read again. I bagged up the latter and dontated them to a local charity that holds one HUGE book sale the second full weekend in February---HOWEVER, for some reason this year it's the third weekend (Feb 16 & 17, 2013). If you're in the Phoenix, AZ area, check it out!

2. My boxes of unread---which I'm still wading through---made me rethink purchasing rather than checking out of library, etc. Once dontated, my OCD of having full sets keeps me from holding on to single items.

3. I rediscovered the library (free wi-fi) when the company I worked at for 27 years closed it's local operations and I was laid off. I was still buying books, but with so many staring at me when I went for the wi-fi, I started utilizing the book end again (love it!). It keeps me from purchasing as many as I once did, even after going back to work.

So, now I read what I have and bag them up for used book stores that give cash or credit (for more books!). What the stores won't take are dontated to libraries and other charities. I only keep what I know I will read again and again. I may read something twice, but there are very few I will pick up over and over; those are the keepers. I keep track on my books lists and can always check out or pick up cheap something I want to give a second look.

[Karen]

Sharon wrote: "I am a college librarian who used to give my books to students and faculty. Then I got a Kindle. Now I put them in the Cloud when I am done."

I would love to put them in the cloud, but they're of no use to anyone else there. It's my biggest complaint against e-books. A physical book can be of use to someone else, and so on. E-books, at least right now, are only of use to the person (or account) that purchases it. If I could resell or donate e-volumes once I'd finished with them, I'd be more willing to purchase. Even if all I could do was donate/transfer the e-license to a library or other charity I'd be more inclined to spend the money.

I love the convenience---one device hundreds of volumes, purchasing wherever and whenever, etc. However, right now, 99%(+) of what I get are e-freebies. I will only purchase books in "e" format if I know I will read them over and over, not just twice, but numerous times, those I-need-to-read-something-"go-to"-books, because they're the things I keep on my shelves as "go-tos" now. There aren't a lot of those.

I don't like paying for air, especially at the prices charged. "Access" to a book is not the same as owning the book. I want to own what I pay for. I want to be able to use and dispose of the item as I see fit as I do with a physical volume.

[Melodie]

Karen wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I am a college librarian who used to give my books to students and faculty. Then I got a Kindle. Now I put them in the Cloud when I am done."

I would love to put them in the clou..."

My feelings on e-books are much the same as yours, Karen. I have a KindleFire that my husband bought for my birthday last year. Most of what is on it was free. If I paid for it I paid $1.99 or less. There have been VERY few instances when I paid any more than that and it was a case of it being something by an author I REALLY like and electronic was the only way to get it. I can think of 4 times that happened. All were $2.99, except one which was $4.99. I consider that highway robbery for something I really have nothing to show for.

[Mary]

I send my books to friends once I have read them. I tried donating them to my local library but they said to donate them to the Friends of the Library group. That's ok but the library located in my neighborhood does not have a good choice of books from any genre and the stuff they have is old and some of the covers are falling off. Then they wonder why people don't go to the library. I only download the free books on my e-reader. Yes...I know I am cheap

[Connie N.]

Karen wrote: I would love to put them in the cloud, but they're of no use to anyone else there. It's my biggest complaint against e-books. A physical book can be of use to someone else, and so on. E-books, at least right now, are only of use to the person (or account) that purchases it. If I could resell or donate e-volumes once I'd finished with them, I'd be more willing to purchase. Even if all I could do was donate/transfer the e-license to a library or other charity I'd be more inclined to spend the money.

I never though of that! What a great idea that would be--to be able to donate ebooks to the library. My library system is building their digital collection quickly, but for many books they only have 1 copy so it seems to take forever to have a digital book be available. I'd love to be able to purchase an ebook then donate it to the library. I would think that would be something possible in the not-too-distant future.

[Barb, Co-Moderator Challenge Expert]

Connie N. wrote: " I'd love to be able to purchase an ebook then donate it to the library. I would think that would be something possible in the not-too-distant future."

With all the problems libraries are having getting publishers to sell ebooks to them at reasonable prices, I think this is probably MUCH farther down the road than a logical person would think.

Several of the Big 6 publishers won't sell their ebooks to libraries at all, period. Of the others, the ebook prices for libraries are at least twice as much as consumers would pay for the very same book (some as much as 300% more!!) and/or have such restrictive licenses on them, it's a miracle libraries have any ebooks to loan at all! I don't remember which publisher it is, but they require libraries to purchase a new license after only 26 loans. Our print books circulate wayyyyy more than 26 times before they need to be replaced.

Libraries are working together to try to get the publishers to be more realistic about the ebook issue, but there doesn't seem to be much progress :(

[Karen]

Barb wrote: "With all the problems libraries are having getting publishers to sell ebooks to them at reasonable prices, I think this is probably MUCH farther down the road than a logical person would think."

Sadly, I have to agree. I've read about some of the restrictions to libraries. I don't understand why e-books should be treated any differently than physical books. I'd understand having to wait for an e-book if there's only one purchased by the library. I may not like it all the time, but that's the way it is for physical books. I get on a wait list and get the book when it's my turn. What I don't understand is the restriction on the number times checked out. A physical book can be checked out until it gets too worn out for use (even then, it can be sold or given away...). Or, it can sit on the shelf awaiting checkout. In a year's period, it could be checked out a hundred times and not suffer damage bad enough for discard, especially if the library staff takes care of it (and most do!).

I get that e-versions won't "wear" out, but shouldn't the restriction be more than 27 times, something more along the lines of a physical book? I understand publishers make money when libraries have to replace volumes, but if a new book hits a hundred reads in a year without having to be replaced, shouldn't the minimum restriction---if there has to be one---be at least that? And, I go back to the paying for air thing. When library volumes are no longer needed, they can be sold. Right now, e-volumes cannot. So now libraries would be paying (and repaying) for limited use without being able to recoup any of their outlay.

I also don't think libraries should have to pay more for e-versions---especially the noted 300%. Pricing is pricing. E-versions are cheaper to produce. Libraries (and we!) should not have to pay premiums to save publishers money.

[Barb, Co-Moderator Challenge Expert]

For anyone who'd like to read more about the libraries/ebooks issue, here's some info from our library system: Missing Ebook Titles?

To see some specific examples of the price difference between consumer print book, consumer ebook, library print book and library ebook, check this out: Pricing Report Also notice how many titles are simply not available for libraries to purchase as ebooks, although the books ARE available in ebook format -- for consumers.

[❂ Murder by Death]

I've often thought there should be a federal law that required each publisher to donate a copy of x number of titles to libraries. When you consider how cheap it is for them to publish and how many copies they *do* give away in the form of ARC's and reader giveaways, this should be doable. And of course, they'd be entitled to a tax break for the donation...

I can see the backlash being that the state and fed government would then see this as an excuse to further cut library funding. :(

[Barb, Co-Moderator Challenge Expert]

I like the idea, but you're probably right about the funding cuts. As if library budgets haven't been cut enough in the past few years :(

Several of my co-workers have worked at our library for more than 10 years, and they say the library is busier than it's ever been -- and we're trying to keep up with the increased demand with less money. It's very frustrating!

[Cindy]

After they have passed through the family they go to Goodwill or local nursing home. The library does not want books unless they are new and I love older books best.

[Yvonne]

It depends...lately I've been donating them to either my local library or other organizations looking for books. I used to keep everything but I don't have room anymore. That's why I love my e-readers so much :)

[jaxnsmom]

I recently picked up a book to read and realized I'd already read it, so I guess it's time to go throught and pull out some books to donate again. I think I'll go to either the cancer center again, or the senior center.

[Iamabibliophile]

That's happened to me. We have a huge library book sale here, fills a convention center. I volunteer each year and After your shift you get to take home a bag of books for free. I've brought home a book I donated. lol

[jaxnsmom]

That is a hazard :)

[Zana]

As a library board member in a small rural Colorado library district, I was interested to read about the travails libraries are having. Our director recently bought a few Nooks to try out because evidently B&N has better terms for checking out than Amazon.

[Alana]

I am in the Audiobooks group as well and they have a big discussion about the downfalls of e-books and audiobooks for libraries. It's absolutely outrageous what publishers charge! But knowing there is a "checkout" restriction makes me think twice before checking out a book if I'm not certain I will have enough time to listen to it before its time is up. And I wish they wouldn't just disappear from your library...if I don't turn a physical book back into the library, I have to pay a fine...and sometimes it's worth it if it's a particularly long book and I just want to get it finished and don't want to turn it in for an extra day or two. I figure the fine is helping pay for the book I'm reading anyway. No such luck with electronic books.