Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to frequent questions about donating and receiving books, or becoming a partner organization.
I’d like to donate books. What sort of books do you accept?
We are particularly interested in focused-subject collections: science fiction, scholarly books, focused-subject non-fiction, kid’s books, graphic novels.
We accept new, vintage, and antique. Hardcover, paperback. Fiction and non-fiction.
Unfortunately, we cannot take magazines, loose educational materials, textbooks, dictionaries, or outdated computer or medical books. We are also unable to take large collections of single-author popular fiction, or large numbers of “bestseller” paperback fiction.
What condition do the books need to be in?
Books need to be in “good or better” condition. If it’s good enough to give to a family member as a casual gift, then it’s good enough to be donated.
A small amount of use wear is fine — a few finger smudges, a small amount of writing in the text, dented corners, tears to the dustjacket.
We unfortunately cannot accept books that have been exposed to moisture, insects, or leg-lifting dogs; books that have cracked bindings (with the exception of uncommon vintage/antique books), torn covers, or foul odor.
What happens to the books after I donate them?
Our goal is to make sure that every usable book ends up in the hands of someone who wants it. Some books are sold (online, through local brick-and-mortar bookstores, or in bulk) and that money is gifted to schools, teachers, and other literacy-focused non-profits. Many books are given for free back to the community — to our volunteers, to individuals during a free give-away event, to senior centers, social organizations, other non-profits, Little Free Libraries, or to other folks who can help distribute them throughout their communities.
What area do you serve? Can you pick up my books?
We are located in El Sobrante (94803). If you have a couple-three boxes of books, then we request that you bring them to us. We can usually do pickup for medium-ish collections (5–15 boxes) in West Contra Costa, Berkeley, and Oakland. We can usually come and get large collections (500–1000 books = 15–30 boxes) in the general East-Bay area, if you have someone available to get the boxes to the street. Extra-large collections (more than 30 boxes) will need to be brought to us in El Sobrante.
Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes! Books and cash donations are tax-deductible. We are a California-registered federal 501(c)(3) non-profit. EIN 39-4562856.
What happens to donated money?
100% of donated money goes to goal-focused activities. There are no salaries and no percentage cuts on the donations — every penny you donate will end up with the organization! A small amount goes to operational overhead — gas, boxes, push-carts, labels. Most of it is given back to the community — to teachers, schools, and other non-profits.
How do I ask for books? Or money?
People asking for stuff is what makes us HAPPY! We want you to ask. Reach out via email, text, or voice — whatever modality is best for you.
Sometimes we have a lot of books on the shelves looking for new homes, and we can fill entire libraries, just for the asking. Other times, we’ll take your name and put you on a wait-list. If you’re interested in one specific thing (magazines, media, music), please let us know, and when folks want to donate that, we’ll send them your way!
If you are a teacher, school, or literacy organization looking for monetary assistance, we don’t have endless pockets, but we do have some small amount of money and gift certificates to distribute monthly. We are particularly likely to be able to fulfill requests for gift certificates to local brick-and-mortar bookstores. (Support local!)
