#LoveMyLibraryCard Library Donations

Posted September 9, 2014 by Felicia S in Blogger Confession, LoveMyLibraryCard / 32 Comments

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#LoveMyLibraryCard Library Donations

Hi y’all! Today I am going to talk about giving back your libraries. We all love the services that our libraries and librarians provide but in many places most of these programs are funded outside the operating budget through programs such Friends of the Library.

Here are just a few ways that you can give back to your library:

Donate books, audiobooks, and magazines. 

In other words if your at home library looks like this (and is growing):

[media-credit id=1 align=”aligncenter” width=”500″]Personal Library[/media-credit]

Then it might be time to go through and donate what you have already read. (This is an old picture of mine that drives The Book Nympho insane. I would like to note that all the books I kept for now (to read) are all safely put away on shelves). If you are an author then think about donating some of your author copies to the library. If you are a blogger that attends conferences and ends up with duplicates–send them to the library. Do you get a magazine subscription? Find out if your library will accept those. Do you have audiobooks just collecting dust after you have listened to them? Donate!

Donate Money!

Many libraries have programs that run on money donated by patrons.  Here are a few examples of the programs your library might depend on patron donations to run:

  • After school reading programs for kids and teens
  • After school activities for kids and teens
  • College preparation classes for teens
  • Adult reading programs for literacy
  • New items for the library: shelving, visuals, chairs

Donate Time!

Many libraries allow you to donate time to them by helping with programs, hosting book clubs, or helping with some of the more basic tasks that take librarians away from helping readers. Examples:

  • Shelving books
  • Sorting Check-ins from drop-off
  • Hosting a book club that is not run off donations
  • Using your life skills to help run a program at the library (teaching computer skills, resume writing, creative writing)
  • Raising money or helping with fundraisers for the library

Donate Recyclables

This was a new one to me but some libraries will accept recyclables that they can turn into cash! Reach out to your library and see if they will let you take your paper, cans, or other recyclables in to them! If this is something you already do then it is probably an easy way to give back to the community!

 

Why donate?

Libraries are awesome! We all know that but it is really what they give to the community that makes them outstanding. The fact that they offer computers to those searching for jobs, programs for kids, learning aids for all ages, and a safe place for everyone to enhance their lives is the main reason to put your local library on your charity list. They enhance the quality of life for so many people and most of that is done with the help of the patrons. So if you have some extra time, books, money, or recyclables why not give back. Just think of it as an investment in your future through enhancing your community and future generations!

Felicia S
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Felicia S

Felicia is just your average gal from Texas that loves Audiobooks and Libraries with a passion! She can wine them, dine them, and love them forever. Her eclectic reading tastes include: Cozy Mysteries, Thrillers, Swoon-Worthy Romance of all kinds, Zombies, Urban Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and the occasional YA read.

During her non-reading time you can find her hanging with her rescue furr children named after book characters: Lizzie a beautiful cattle dog mix (Pound Pup), Cinder a beautiful Shep/Pitt mix (Pound Pup), and Minerva a beautiful Shep/Pitt mix (Foster Fail). Gathering with friends and family, attending conventions, watching movies/tv shows, rooting for the 49rs, and crocheting.

If you want to follow her DIY, Health, and Life adventures check out Mess to Best

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32 responses to “#LoveMyLibraryCard Library Donations

  1. I love donating books! I usually have a couple to drop in the box every time I visit. I’ve been thinking about volunteering too. I’d love shelving books, though I think my library only lets volunteers shelve movies, lol.

  2. I bet most libraries have what ours does… the “friends of the library” association. It’s a great way to help donate time, etc. But they also are great about spreading the word about the library and such. Woot!

  3. I have never donated books because if I buy a hardcopy of a book, I want it FOREVER. LOL – and the few I don’t for some reason want to keep, I tend to giveaway on the blog. But my mom is moving in with us October 1st and she’s having to really get rid of a lot of things and we just donated two bags full of dvds to the library. So that’s something else you can donate 🙂

  4. Until very recently my library didn’t have the Friends information readily available. I need to pick up one of the flyers next time I’m in.

    I’m also thinking of doing a donation type program during the readathons I participate in similar to what you do. 🙂

    • I am about to put up my Dewey’s post this week and this time I am donating to my libraries. I am also going to divide the donations differently (books, time, and money). I am a little bit more in “budget” mode but I know between the three I can pull off a pretty nice donation.

    • That is the best way to find out what you can and cannot donate. They will always tell you how or if they don’t accept donations what community organizations will 🙂

  5. I donate my daughter’s books to the school, she doesn’t like digital books and she loves going to book store, so every year I have a big pile. I wish I had more physical books to donate, but my library is 99% digital, except for the hard copies I wanted to own.

  6. ANNNNDDDD… if your books are in fabulous shape, they MAY even add them to their collection 😀 I’ve had a bunch of my books sitting on my shelves forever, not being read. I’ve noticed NOW that they’re coming out cheap in ebook format (a great example lately was Jennifer Armentrout’s Obsidian). I grabbed the ebook and donated my never read physical copy to my library (um, where I work). My library has a HUGE problem with YA books walking out the front door so we have a ton of the popular books missing. I just replaced a ton of those in the collection with my books! Now, they’ll probably go walking but hopefully they’ll be read!!!

    And NO ARCs – PLEASE, I beg you 😀

    Felicia – you need to be a librarian, or a Friend at the very least!!!

    • True that! I have donated many a book that I had in multiple forms (I prefer having it on my ereader takes up less space in the house ) 🙂 🙂

      I am sort of a Friend of the Library (in an unofficial sense) but I do donate time as well as goods in helping them with their online presence 🙂

  7. I wish my library took donations, that would make my life so much easier when it comes to what to do with used books, when all the used bookstores in my area have way too much credit under my name as it is. this library system stinks as far as stuff like that, no donations, volunteering is like becoming head honcho of Fort Knox. Most of the programs here are Spanish orientated (I live in a predominately Spanish area) so if I want to learn how to speak English im good to go.

    in the county I used to live though, I lived by a small library that I was good friends with the head librarian, she’d let me pick out books for them to order, and help with stuff, they took my donations and what they couldn’t use or resell they donated to homeless shelters for me and stuff like that. that was the best library system

    • Oh that is sad 🙁 I would think they would want donation (if even to sell to fund programs).

      Don’t you love small libraries that get their hands into the community. It sounds like that librarian was on the ball and super awesome to have!

  8. Great post. I don’t my books to our school library. Well the YA ones. Full 100% write off is better than resale. Win. Recommend the titles to my students. Win.

    • I think that is awesome! I hadn’t thought of donating to school libraries but I don’t read much that would probably fit in there. However, great idea!

  9. Can I tell you how much I love my library? I’ve been going there since I was little. People think I’m a bit strange that I spend a lot of time in there, but I get lost. Sometimes I don’t let myself in the library at all because I know I have an appointment. I donate a lot of my books to the library, lol. I love the idea of the recyclables! Never thought of it.

    • I don’t think it is strange at all that you spend so much time there. I think one of the most understated things about the library is that it is a place to go and escape too! 🙂

    • Mine doesn’t accept ARCS either but they will take the duplicates I get from book conventions. Those are always finished copies 🙂 Plus all my audiobooks are publication copies so they take them. 🙂

  10. I agree, libraries are awesome and I love using it with my kids. I have a huge stack of books that I am taking down the next time I go. I am glad to be able to give back.

  11. I feel kind of silly saying this but it never occurred to me to donate books to the library. I guess in my head I thought they wouldn’t take them because they weren’t brand new. Good to know!

    • They generally won’t take ARCs but they will take finished copies. Sometimes they will take them for library sales and other times put them into rotation 🙂
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