What Do You Do With Hard Copies Of Books You Don't Keep? (1/19/25)

[Marc]

For hard copies of books you decide to no longer keep, what do you do with these books? If it varies, how do you decide their next destination?

[Joy D]

I donate them. There is a local used bookshop that donates the proceeds to the local library to purchase more books for the community. There are also a number of local charities.

[Franky]

If they are a book that I really like I will keep, but I have a ton of books that I've read that I need to donate. So , I will probably give them to the local library like Joy mentioned or Goodwill. I've also given some to the local high school library before as well.

[Emmeline]

This is becoming more of an issue for me in my small apartment. I sell them to the local English language second hand bookshop (basically for small change) but then I run the risk of just acquiring more on my way out the door...

[Alwynne]

When I can I donate to little free libraries and charity shops but increasingly finding they're at capacity or won't take books, so a lot more ending up at the dump these days! But I rarely buy hard copies of books now, only if they're impossible to source digitally or things I collect like books released to accompany exhibitions.

[Catherine]

Usually I don't buy that many hard copies. The hardcopies I do buy are for books I anticipate wanting to keep. Any I don't want I donate to our local library or leave in the hallway of work. I teach at a local university and my hallway is lined with benches. Many of faculty will purge their offices on a regular basis and I'll come to work one morning to find books lined up on those benches. When I have some to get rid of, I'll put them on those benches too. It's sort of a little free library, university style!

[Greg]

I'm going to have to do something with a bunch of hard copies this year because I have far, far too many. I was hoping for good alternatives, but I guess I will just have to drop them at the library? My only concern with that is that a lot of those donated books at my nearby library end up getting dumped since they have such an overstock and I hate to have that happen. Some of my books are out of print or hard to get and I guess those I will either hold onto or try to find some way of getting them into people's hands that want them. But the ones that are easily obtainable or easily available in electronic form I'll try to donate.

It's a little discouraging for me that hardcopy books are becoming less prevalent, but that's the way of the world. Things are always changing.

[Jenna]

My favorite room in the house is my library, and with the kids now in college, double rows on shelves and the piles of books building up on the floor, my husband joked recently that we could turn one of their rooms into the library annex ... haha

But seriously, there are plenty of things I read that I don't get attached to, wont lend out or definitely want my kids to read. We have a great institution here that is a huge free book warehouse, open once a month, so I donate a lot there because that is hugely popular and so puts things back into circulation (although like Emily I definitely risk coming away with something else, its usually a lot less than I left!)

[Hester]

What is this you say ? Don't Keep Hard Copies ? I find my bookshelves , all over the house , provide more amusing and absorbing insulation / soundproofing than other options . ...those I don't want to keep I sell second hand and then buy more of the same , others go to friends and charity shops .

[Marc]

Greg wrote: "I'm going to have to do something with a bunch of hard copies this year because I have far, far too many. I was hoping for good alternatives, but I guess I will just have to drop them at the librar..."

Greg, your local prison system might take them. I think there are some national efforts, as well (https://prisonbookprogram.org/prisonb...).

I usually donate to one of the neighborhood Little Free Libraries or to the local library (which sells them for funds that directly impact the local branch; our library has a beautiful new building, but they literally fund construction paper and craft supplies from such sales and donations).

[Wendy]

When I don’t pass them along to a friend, I either donate to our local library (for the book sales they hold peridocially) or I’ll place them in the free community library bookshelves we have around town.

[Lily]

Our local YMCA has a "take one" bookcase near entry seating. Turnover is problematic, but recent new reads seem to move fairly quickly.