I tell everyone I know not to donate books to the library unless you are donating them for a Book Sale. I say:
--If the library collects in that area, they probably already have the books.
--If the library does not collect in that area, they probably don’t want the books.
I’ve been faced with what to do with nice collections of books left by deceased relatives myself. I donated a very select few to my own library (a small collection
of circus books because we have a circus club on campus. But no books in the collection). I got the help of Penn & Teller (old friends of my relative who died) to help me place a wonderful collection of about 450 books on magic and magicians with a magician
in the Minneapolis area who is giving them an appreciative new home. I donated a small core collection of books on the Civil War to a small public library which had only just opened and didn’t have the titles. I kept a few for myself, and I donated all the
rest to the Friends of the Library Book Sale in Ithaca (it’s a huge book sale). I know firsthand how much work it is to find the right place to donate books!
Thanks so much for the info about Zubal Books. That will be helpful not only to us here in the library, but I also hope they are still in business when I kick the bucket – my kids will appreciate it too!
Karin
--
Karin Wikoff
Electronic and Technical Services Librarian
Ithaca College Library
953 Danby Rd
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 1-607-274-1364
Fax: 1-607-274-1539
From: "Julia M. Gelfand" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:01:29 +0000
Like most of us, I get this question several times a month. I have been directing faculty or members in the community with significant collections they want to free themselves of to Zubal Books – they are Cleveland based but send out trucks to pick up books that they resell and have been easy to deal with. Please visit http://www.zubalbooks.com/ I discourage sending old dated materials to libraries overseas just so that they can have English content, unless it is a very specialized collection that fills a gap. It is expensive and not usually in the library’s best interests.
Julia Gelfand
UCI
From: "Jim O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 07:04:48 -0700
Libraries struggle with donations: retired faculty, alumni friends,
people of a certain age looking to downsize would love to give us
their books, carefully selected and cared for over decades. Several
problems arise: the books themselves are often very largely
duplicates of material we already have; or deal with areas where we
don't have an interest in collecting; and every volume accepted comes
with a cost in staff time for handling and cataloging and in housing
costs over time. So libraries are often now more resistant and have
to be very sensitive to the disappointment we create.
I have an idea that I have seen somewhere efforts at providing
guidance for those who would donate academic books usefully -- at
broad, at home, bookdealers, etc. Can any of our learned readers
provide pointers to such guidance? I ask because I wonder if we
couldn't provide particularly academics useful practical guidance
through such information disseminated by e.g. a professional society
to its members. This can't be a unique or unheard-of problem.
With thanks for all pointers,
Jim O'Donnell
Arizona State University