When you have many books at home, books that you do not use, it is normal for you to consider where to donate books and encyclopedias so that other people can enjoy knowledge and reading. It helps you get more space for other books you want to read; and you give others the opportunity to make those new books available to them.
But how to do it? Why? Where can these books be given away? We wanted to focus on this topic to help you know all the details about donating books.
Why donate books and encyclopedias
There are many reasons why you should consider donating books and encyclopedias. When you have a lot of books and they are no longer useful, throwing them away is not a good option. But donating them can allow them to have a second life and, in addition, you will make the knowledge reach other people.
Actually, we could give you several reasons why to do it, between them:
- Promote learning: From what we have told you before, you are bringing knowledge to other people who may not be as lucky as you are to access them.
- Promote reading: in the sense that by having a new and interesting book they can create the habit of reading in people who cannot afford to buy books.
- Give a second life to books: instead of throwing them away, or recycling them, they are given a new life when used so that others can acquire that knowledge or simply enjoy a good story.
In general, you should view book donations as a way to help others in their education, learning, and in accessing reading that they might not otherwise have.
What kind of books and encyclopedias can be donated
Have you ever wondered what kind of books and encyclopedias you can donate? Although the answer seems to you to be anyone, the truth is that it is not. It is essential that the books that are donated must be in good condition and that, in addition, they are useful or relevant to the place where you are going to donate them. For example, if you want to donate a specific and very detailed biology book, where they will not want it is in a place where they take care of small children, because the normal thing is that this book is of no use to them.
In addition, those books that are in poor condition, with pages missing, torn, dirty... no matter how much you want to donate them, they will not be accepted, even if they are valuable.
Usually, What you can donate are:
- Textbooks: Public libraries, schools and universities may be interested in receiving these types of donations.
- Novels: In this case, public libraries and second-hand bookstores will be the most interested. In fact, in the case of second-hand bookstores, it is possible that they will pay you something for those books.
- Encyclopedias: Especially for public libraries and schools.
- Children's books: Nursery schools, primary schools or libraries are where you will have the most success and they will accept them as long as they meet the requirements they ask for.
Where to donate books and encyclopedias
Depending on where you live there will be more places to donate books. In general, you can donate them in:
- Public Libraries: Many public libraries accept donations of books and encyclopedias that are in good condition. Of course, if they already have many copies, it is possible that they will reject them or, even accepting them, they will send them to other libraries.
- Second-hand bookstores: Not just donations, but sometimes they buy them too so if you have a lot of good books and you want to get some extra, you could drop by one of those bookstores and try your luck.
- Nonprofit organizations: There are non-profit organizations that collect donations of books and encyclopedias to distribute to people who cannot afford to buy them or who live in areas where access to information is limited.
- Schools and universities: Not always, but some colleges and universities accept in their library that children or adults donate books to expand the catalog they have available.
- Orphanages: If there are orphanages in your city, one joy that you can give to the little ones is by bringing them books. In this way, you help them encourage reading.
How to do it
Donating books and encyclopedias is not as easy as showing up there and doing it. In fact, you have to follow a protocol to be accepted. Which? We explain it to you below:
- First, choose who you want to donate the books and encyclopedias to. As you have seen, you have many options available, so you should know which one or which ones you are going to use.
- Once you know, you will have to contact them. Talk to the person in charge and make sure that he accepts book donations. And it is that, sometimes, they may not accept or you have to meet certain requirements.
- If they accept them, you will have to prepare the books. Make sure they are undamaged, packaged, and labeled so it won't be difficult for them to sort through them.
- When you can (or when you've arranged to meet the person), hand over the books for them to enjoy. You can go in person or send them by courier. But keep in mind that, being a donation, they are not going to bear the costs.
The book donation document or letter
Sometimes you're going to have to fill out a written document in which the donation of books is formalized. It is a bureaucratic procedure that must be followed. We are talking about the book donation document or letter, a piece of paper that includes information about the donation, number of books donated, title, author and state of conservation.
Sometimes also may include information about the donorsuch as your name, address, and phone number, and may include a brief statement of why the donation is being made.
Is used for officially register and document the donation, at the same time that it serves as a test. It has no negative effect on the person who donates it, and it is merely a formal part of that donation.
Is it now clearer to you how to donate books and encyclopedias?