What to do with your old books
In one of my favorite Simpsons episodes, the Springfield library has a huge book sale (to draw people in, the banner outside reads, "Yes, we have pornography!") to get rid of some of their old books.But when Lisa approaches the check-out desk with hundreds of tomes, her mother tells her she can't buy more than her weight in books. Lisa cries, "But the books no one buys get chopped up and fed to pigs!"
In reality, the library usually tosses just those books that are tattered beyond repair, having suffered ripped pages, missing jackets, or unfortunate encounters with toddlers holding sticky popsicles. So feel free to donate your old books to your local branch, but think before you donate: giving them outdated computer books or dictionaries from 1984 is kind of like donating those dented canned lima beans to the food drive. Just because they're in need, doesn't mean they want your crappy old leftovers.
What else can you do?
- Donate to Books Through Bars, a Philadelphia-based program that collects book donations for prisoners. If you're in the area, you can help them collect and sort the books. If not, check out this map to find a program near you. (Note: some programs have specific types of books they accept, so make sure you read the rules before sending). And if you mention that you're sending books, the postal service should give you a special "book rate."
- Call your local elementary school - many classrooms, especially in inner cities, are in desperate need of age-appropriate books in decent condition. Day care centers and nursery schools are good places to contact, as well.
- Bring your old children's books, magazines, or art/photography books to your doctor's office and offer them up there.
- If all else faills, put your books outside and advertise them on Craiglist.org under "free" or on Freecycle.org - they'll be gone before you can blink.
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