Do libraries destroy books?

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/10/12/141265066/hard-choices-do-libraries-really-destroy-books
EDIT: Fixed stupid spelling mistake.

The answer is yes, we do. We actually throw out a LOT of donations that do not met our condition criteria:

Here's a few tips if you want to donate materials to libraries and not have them thrown away.

1. Condition, Condition, Condition. Are the pages on the books yellowing? Are the spines on the paperbacks showing significant signs of wear? Do they smell musty from sitting in an attic/basement for a long time? Are pages falling out? If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, just throw them out or take them to Goodwill or St. Vinnies. Books like this generally throw out right away.

1a. As for any sort of optical media (video games, DVDs, Music and Audiobook CDs, etc) If there is even the slightest scratch on the disc, we will not accept it. In fact, we prefer any donations of this type to be factory-sealed, however if discs are in absolutely pristine condition, at least our library consider adding those donations.

2. If you want to donate your old college/tech school textbooks, don't bother. In our system, donated textbooks usually go straight in the garbage. Check with your local library first

3. Got a bunch of old Reader's Digest Condensed Books? Don't bother. We probably have the REAL version of the books in the volumes anyways. We might put them on the sell cart if they are in decent enough condition, but we won't put them in the stacks.

[Nostradammit]

1. And really, what good is a book without a story?

;)

[KurtNYC]

6. must be somethign like Philip Glass music

[Nostradammit]

13. Zing!

(somethign?) ;)

[lame54]

2. spell check please

[HughBeaumont]

3. Smartest unintended typo ever?

;)

[uppityperson]

7. Found it, funny. Heh

[Robb]

4. Years ago I volunteered at a small library

To be honest, mostly I was volunteering my back and my utility trailer for stuff. :)

Anyhow, every year they had a book sale to sell off the unwanted donations. Good fund-raiser, but there were always leftovers. One of the librarians and I hauled a trailer full of books up to the dump -- oddly enough at the same time a prison work crew was dumping what I seem to remember were tree branches.

They're lugging branches over, and we're lugging bundles of books. And they were staring at us and shaking their heads; finally one of them said "What the hell is wrong with you guys throwing books away? We'll take them!" The guards sort of laughed it off, but I called the prison the next year to find out if they wanted them -- nope. :(

[Frustratedlady]

5. Our library has huge sales of books that either haven't been checked out,

or those that have been replaced.

[Raine]

9. So does mine but the librarian told me what didn't sell

would be destroyed. :-(

[MadHound]

8. How do you destory a book?

Is that like removing the plot?

[Hardrada]

10. I know a college library in Illinois that does not sell books it

wishes to get rid of or take them to a thrift store but shreds them. And has shredded some quite valuable ones that "took up space." It is the new school library style not to bother with friends sales or any bookselling to the general public.

[uppityperson]

11. k&r for donations that are in good form, not trashy.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

12. I took a bunch of books

to Hastings's for buy-back credit last year
They couldn't use everything so the rest went right down to the central library for donation
After I dropped them off at the desk I started to wander the stacks
Someone found me, thanked me for my donation, and said they were going to put some of them in circulation rather than donate to the book sale

I bought some textbooks our library book sale - geography, earth science