How to Donate Books to the Library (What They Accept and How)

Q: Where is the best place to donate used books?

Start with your local public library or its Friends group, where donations fund library programs through book sales. For large loads or books the library won't take, good options include Better World Books (mail-in, funds literacy), nonprofits like Prison Book Program, and local schools, shelters or Little Free Libraries. Call ahead to confirm what each accepts.

Q: Are book donations to the library tax-deductible?

They can be. Gifts to a public library or a 501(c)(3) Friends group are deductible under IRS rules, but you determine the value, not the library; staff can only give you a receipt. Noncash donations over $500 for the year require IRS Form 8283, and over $5,000 generally needs a qualified appraisal. Keep your receipt and ask your tax preparer for large gifts.

Q: What condition do donated books need to be in?

Clean, recent and undamaged. Libraries want books they can sell or shelve, so skip anything moldy, musty, water-damaged, smoky, or marked up. Encyclopedias, old textbooks, magazines and VHS or cassette tapes are commonly declined, and many libraries want nonfiction from the last 5 to 10 years. If you wouldn't buy it or give it to a friend, don't donate it.

Q: Can I donate a large number of books at once?

Yes, but call ahead; most libraries limit quantities and require appointments, for example 10 to 20 boxes per session at some systems. Never leave boxes outside a closed library, since weather damage makes them unusable. For very large collections, Better World Books and other bulk-donation nonprofits are built for volume.

What happens to donated books, the condition libraries actually want, whether it's tax-deductible, and where to take large loads.

By the Public-Libraries.com Editorial Team · Updated September 29, 2026

In this guide

What actually happens to books you donate
What condition do books need to be in?
Call ahead — and don't just leave boxes at the door
Are book donations tax-deductible?
Where to take a lot of books (or ones the library won't take)

Quick answer: Call your library first — most accept gently used books, but donated books usually don't go straight onto the shelves. They typically go to the "Friends of the Library" for book sales that fund library programs, and the library keeps only what it needs. Bring clean, recent, undamaged books; skip anything moldy, musty, marked-up, or out of date. Donations can be tax-deductible, but you (not the library) set the value. Policies vary by library.

What actually happens to books you donate

This surprises a lot of people: the books you drop off usually aren't added to the collection. As the American Library Association explains, once you donate, the library "is free to decide whether to keep the book in the library's collection, put it in a book sale to raise funds for the library, or discard it" (ALA). In practice, most donations flow to the library's Friends group — a nonprofit that runs used-book sales and bookstores to raise money for programs, equipment and events.

Real library policies say exactly this. Sacramento Public Library notes that donated items "may be added to our collection or passed along to the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library... and sold in used book sales to generate funds for the library" (saclibrary.org). Ames Public Library in Iowa says donations may be "added to the Library's collection, sold at a Friends Foundation book sale... given away, or responsibly discarded," depending on need and condition (amespubliclibrary.org). So your donation still helps the library — usually by raising money — even when it doesn't land on a shelf.

What condition do books need to be in?

Libraries want books they can actually sell or shelve, which means clean, recent and undamaged. The ALA's rule of thumb is blunt but useful: "If you wouldn't buy it or give it to a friend, think twice about donating it." Friends of Arlington Public Library, for instance, asks for books that are "clean, no highlighting, underlining, or writing in the margins."

What libraries commonly turn away is just as consistent. The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library won't take items that are "moldy, water-damaged, musty, smelling of tobacco," have "underlining, highlighting, or notes," or show insect or rodent damage — and they specifically exclude encyclopedias, magazines, academic journals, and VHS or cassette tapes (friendssfpl.org). Many libraries also want current material: Arlington won't take nonfiction older than 10 years, and Ames limits medical, financial and travel books to the last 5 years.

Usually welcome	Usually declined
Clean, gently used fiction & nonfiction	Moldy, musty, water-damaged or smoky books
Recent editions	Highlighted, underlined or marked-up books
Children's books in good shape	Encyclopedias & condensed/abridged sets
Popular hardcovers & paperbacks	Old textbooks, magazines, academic journals
Audiobooks/DVDs (check first)	VHS & cassette tapes; damaged media

Call ahead — and don't just leave boxes at the door

Appointments and quantity limits are the norm, so a quick call saves everyone hassle. The Friends of SFPL take donations "by appointment only," capped at 20 boxes or 30 bags per session. Ames limits drop-offs to 10 boxes at a time and asks you to call for larger loads (extremely large loads aren't accepted). Sacramento asks for "small boxes or bags that can be easily carried" and notes staff can't pick up from homes. Never leave books outside a closed library — rain and mildew turn a donation into trash the library has to pay to dispose of.

Are book donations tax-deductible?

They can be. Under IRS rules, deductible recipients include a governmental unit such as a public library (if the gift is "used solely for public purposes") and 501(c)(3) organizations such as a Friends group (IRS Publication 526). A few things to know:

You determine the value, not the library. Sacramento states plainly that "by law, library staff cannot determine the value of a donation for IRS purposes" — they'll give you a receipt acknowledging the donation, but you assign the fair market value.
Items should be in good used condition or better to be deductible (a general IRS principle for donated household-type property).
Over $500 in noncash gifts for the year means filing IRS Form 8283.
Over $5,000 for an item or group of similar items generally requires a written qualified appraisal.

Keep the receipt, and if your donation is large or valuable, talk to your tax preparer.

Note: No library pays for donated books — they're treated as gifts. If you're searching "donate books for money," you're really looking to sell them, which is a different route (below).

Where to take a lot of books (or ones the library won't take)

If you're clearing out a big collection or your library declined some titles, you have good alternatives:

Better World Books resells donated used books online to fund literacy programs and accepts mail-in donations (free shipping for three or more books) and drop boxes. Note it's a donation model, not a buyback — it doesn't pay you (betterworldbooks.com).
Prison Book Program and similar nonprofits send donated books to incarcerated people.
Little Free Libraries, schools, senior centers and shelters often welcome good used books — check with each first.
The ALA also lists bulk-donation and recycling options such as Reader to Reader and Magazine Harvest.

Whatever route you choose, your local branch is the best first stop — staff can tell you their current policy and point you to the Friends group. Find yours with our search-by-city directory or browse public libraries by state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the best place to donate used books?

Start with your local public library or its Friends group — donations there fund library programs through book sales. For large loads or books the library won’t take, good options include Better World Books (mail-in, funds literacy), nonprofits like Prison Book Program, and local schools, shelters or Little Free Libraries. Call ahead to confirm what each accepts.

Do donated books go on the library shelves?

Usually not directly. As the ALA explains, the library decides whether to keep a donated book, sell it in a fundraising book sale, or discard it — and most donations go to the Friends of the Library for book sales that fund programs. Your gift still helps the library, most often by raising money, even when it doesn’t land on a shelf.

Are book donations to the library tax-deductible?

They can be. Gifts to a public library (a government unit) or a 501(c)(3) Friends group are deductible under IRS rules, but you determine the value, not the library — staff can only give you a receipt. Noncash donations over $500 for the year require IRS Form 8283, and over $5,000 generally needs a qualified appraisal. Keep your receipt and ask your tax preparer for large gifts.

What condition do donated books need to be in?

Clean, recent and undamaged. Libraries want books they can sell or shelve, so skip anything moldy, musty, water-damaged, smoky, or marked up with highlighting and notes. Encyclopedias, old textbooks, magazines and VHS/cassette tapes are commonly declined, and many libraries want nonfiction from roughly the last 5–10 years. When in doubt, the ALA’s rule is: if you wouldn’t buy it or give it to a friend, don’t donate it.

Can I donate a large number of books at once?

Yes, but call ahead — most libraries limit quantities and require appointments (for example, 10–20 boxes per session at some systems). Never leave boxes outside a closed library, since weather damage makes them unusable. For very large collections, Better World Books and other bulk-donation nonprofits are built for volume.

Public-Libraries.com Editorial Team

Public-Libraries.com is an independent, reader-supported directory of every U.S. public library. Our editorial team compiles verified hours, services and resources from official sources — see how we verify our data.