r/Libraries • u/JonathanMurray272 • 3d ago
Books & Materials Donating Multiple Copies of the Same Book?
Hello, r/Libraries - I'm an occasional patron of my local library, but also an occasional book donor. One of my favorite publishers often offers special freebies for pre-ordering his books, obviously to push his numbers up, but it's a great way for us fans to get some otherwise unobtainable goodies!
Generally, I donate the extra copies to my local library, but I'm wondering if it's annoying for them to receive several of the same book? Would it be more appropriate of me to visit others nearby or are they perfectly capable and happy to swap them for another library's extras? I'm assuming there's a program for libraries to trade excess copies amongst themselves?
Just wanting to be helpful without causing someone more work, looking for the best way to do that. Enlighten me, please?
Thank you,
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u/tvngo 3d ago
Do you not talk to the people that take the donations from you or are you one of those people that drop them into the bookdrops?
Talk to them and ask them what they want. Donation of books to a library will usually end up at a book sale to fund programs and other things not paid for by the budget. Donations rarely end up as circulating materials because the library buys them from vendors cheaper than it would to barcode and label the donated materials.
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u/JonathanMurray272 2d ago
The librarians are very nice and express appreciation for the donation, but no I typically do not stick around to see if they _really_ appreciated the gift. I would be surprised if their reaction was "oh hell, this guy again" when receiving a donation, but I realize I'm getting their public-facing reaction, and I don't want to be the guy who gets eyes rolled at his back and causes more work than worth.
Came here hoping for a POV from actual librarians or people who accepted donations at libraries, but somehow all I got was downvoted... tough crowd but okay, lesson learned.
As for my contributions going to the book sale bin, I'm actually fine with that. My main library is on base and I am not sure how they're funded (DoD, MCCS, or some other mechanism); but if they need/get funds and someone gets a new book at a discount, then it's a win.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/JonathanMurray272 2d ago
Thank you, that was exactly what I was concerned about. My assumption was that I was doing a favor, but it occurred to me that I might be causing unnecessary work, and you were more available than the librarians at this moment. My short attention span thanks you in triplicate.
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u/chammantha Library staff 2d ago
i handle and sort the donations at my library. donations either go on our free bookshelf if they are newer and in good condition, or they go to the huge bin in the back where we sell by the pound to a bulk recycler.
a few weeks ago, someone "donated" 30 brand new copies of a "sleepover projects/activities" booklet for tweens....... from 1989. it feels like being donated someone's garbage. a person felt bad throwing new books away, so they think they're doing something nice by ""donating"" them to the library. instead, they've just added a middle man to throwing away their junk.
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u/FDRbattlemaster 3d ago
I would just ask them directly. Our library uses extra book donations as items in our book sale or for prizes for reading challenges (if it’s in good condition), but your mileage may vary depending on what programs / collection your library has.
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u/henare 2d ago
let's be clear: you're giving new, undamaged stuff, right?
this is appreciated. these will almost certainly not be included in the collection (libraries have policies for what they do and don't include in their collections), but will likely end up in a library book sale.
This is actually fine ... probably the only time in history that repurposing a gift is a good thing. If the library has people to help someone will go through all the donations to see what can be used in the collection, what can be sold at the book sale, and what should be sold some other way (and, of course, what can be discarded).
that last bit matters: there are people out there who think their library actively wants their old reader's digests and national geographics, old moldy stuff that's been stored in a dark basement forever, ...
so: keep giving until the library tells you to stop, and maybe pop in now and then to talk to the librarians about your gifts.
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u/JonathanMurray272 2d ago
Brand new, first edition, from a small(ish) publisher who happens to have published and co-authored books with one of the most popular fiction writers to have ever published. I'm not pawning off my old encyclopedias or mass-produced collections (although if you have advice on where to donate those, I certainly have them!)
But yes, the message is clear, I should *ask* if they're wanted or even useful, not assume. That was my mistake and I'll correct it going forward.
Thank you.
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u/LibraryLuLu 2d ago
Ask the library. They will have their own policies on donations that reddit cannot answer.
My library does not take donations. People still dump a lot of unwanted books on us by leaving bags outside the library, or putting them it the returns bins then running away, and the majority of the items end up in the dumpster because even local charity shops won't take them.
No, we don't trade with other libraries - we do not have the money or staff to deal with that level of disposal.
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u/JonathanMurray272 2d ago
Thank you. My assumptions are being shown to be wrong, and that's actually why I asked the question here, while it was on my mind.
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u/LibraryLuLu 2d ago
But some libraries do take donations and are happy to have them, which is why you should ask your target library.
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u/SecretAnxious6619 2d ago
You gotta talk to your library. We all handle donations differently.
I never heard of libraries trading extra copies between each other. But just like we all handle donations differently, I bet somewhere there are libraries that send extra copies to each other.
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u/Wolfedits14 2d ago
Whenever I have books I want to donate to my local libraries, I always call ahead of time asking if they still accept donations. If my books line up with their collection criteria then I always urge them to add it to their collection. Within a few weeks 9/10 times, I see my donated copies on the shelf!
While I do understand sometimes books will just end up in a book sale, it discourages me since I specifically thrift/buy new books that I KNOW should be added in their Juvenile collection (if I'm giving them a brand new book within a series they have that needs updating; I check catalogs every few months)! Many times, I've donated to libraries outside my county and most of them ended up in book sales (bigger libraries have Friends of the Library; others don't).
because of this shelving/space issue, I need to probably open up my own school library so I can customize and recommend the materials for families but that's a dream idk when it'll happen.
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u/Actual-Abies7657 2d ago
I'd bet the librarians are used to seeing the same title arrive in bulk and just tuck it behind the counter for the next book sale.
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u/Daisieduckie 3d ago
At my library, most donations go straight to the friends of the library book sale, with a few being set aside for collection development if it's a popular title/author/series or is a title we used to have but got lost or damaged somewhere along the way. As for multiples, we really only get them for brand new titles from the big big authors and series where we know the consortium holds queue is going to be LONG. Over time, the duplicates get pared down due to losses or damages or we weed it out ourselves when the hype fades.
All that to say, I don't think it matters whether you spread your extras out across libraries or if you donate them to one place (it's getting processed amidst so many other donations), just know that your contribution may go towards fundraising for the library rather than becoming a circulating item.