May 28, 2008

A good home for good books in good shape

Steve at Libbie Cass Library (Springfield, NH) recently sent this to NH libraries and agreed to let me share it here:

"I guess it's time for another reminder about the small library book distribution program. I've held off for a while because I tend to get swamped after sending out a notice like this, but I want to remind you all that smaller libraries cannot compete with larger ones when it comes to snapping up the freebies that are offered on line. I collect books for, at this point, 11 libraries around the state. People send me books they no longer want, I type up a list each month of what I've received and send the list to the smaller libraries who then return them to me with their choices. What they don't want gets put into our annual book sale. What am I looking for? Mostly the books have to be in good condition. I take fiction, non-fiction, adult and juvenile, audios and videos. Weeded books are okay, as long as they're still in good condition. However, I don't want high school textbooks, travel books that are more than a year or two old, directories of NH manufacturers (or books of that ilk). With juvenile books, especially, make sure that the spines aren't ripped or the book looks like someone's dog has played with it for a while (you might be surprised what some people send me). Just put what you have in a box and put it on the van for me with some kind of notice that it's a gift, or for distribution. I'll do the rest. Right now I distribute to 11 libraries (the number is always changing as libraries join and drop out of the program) and I offer around 6,000 books each year. I now charge libraries a small amount to cover the printing costs of the lists I send out, but otherwise it's a free program, and a single new book that a library takes covers the cost. If you have further questions, just email. Thanks."