Book Donations

Gunn Memorial Library welcomes your donated books, audio book CDs, and DVDs. Your donation may be added to the Library’s collection, awarded as a summer reading prize, or sold in the Book Basement to help enhance our programs and services.

Due to space constraints, we must be extremely selective in what we accept to keep our inventory manageable.  The unfortunate reality is that we cannot accept all books in need of a new home. Donations are accepted during library hours only. Please do not leave your donations outside the library.

Please call in advance if you are bringing more than one box or bag of books. Please also be prepared to wait while your donation is reviewed. Books that do not meet our donation guidelines will be returned to you. We do not determine the value of the donation. Receipts can be provided on which you may designate how many paperbacks and hardbacks were donated.

Book Donation Guidelines

We can accept:

  • Hardcover and paperback books in very good condition. Commercially published audiobooks and DVDs.
  • Recent editions of magazines (3 months old or less) can be put directly into the Magazine Exchange at the main entrance.

We cannot accept:

  • Damaged books: dusty, broken or loose bindings, missing pages, spotted, soiled, musty or moldy,
  • Writing or highlighting in the text. Outdated materials (see limits below).
  • Magazines older than 3 months
  • Condensed books (Reader’s Digest)
  • Textbooks
  • Professional journals
  • Encyclopedias
  • Dictionaries
  • Non-commercially produced media
  • Workbooks or study guides that are partially or wholly filled in
  • We accept certain materials within specified limits:
  • Price guides and almanacs (current only)
  • Medical and financial advice books (older than 3 years old)
  • Travel guidebooks (older than 3 years old)
  • Computer manuals (older than 2 years old)
  • Computer software (Windows 7 or newer, Mac OS X v10.7 or newer)
  • Test preparation guides (older than than 3 years old)

Books that do not sell after a reasonable time are passed on to other organizations in need whenever possible or sold to book dealers. At times it is necessary to discard books that cannot be sold or donated.