A few pointers about what NOT to donate. We don't like to think that we have limits, but some items are simply not appealing to the Friends' Bookstore clientele for a variety of reasons, and all donations require volunteer time to sort and library space to shelve and store - both of which are precious resources, always in short supply. You can help! Use these guidelines to sort, weed and discard inappropriate materials before donating to the Friends.
Condition matters! Please do not donate books in the following condition(s):
Dirty, Shabby, Soiled
Moldy, Mildewed
Water Damaged or Insect Damaged
Damaged Binding or Pages
Missing Covers or Pages
Excessive Writing, Markings, or Highlighting
Cocked Softcover Books
Also, depending on the type of material, age can be an important factor. Please do not donate:
Magazines of any kind
Computer books more than 3 years old
Test prep books older than the current year
Law books more than 3 years old
Self-help books more than 3 years old
Health and medical books more than 3 years old
Travel guides more than 2 years old
Encyclopedias more than 3 years old
K-12 textbooks more than 3 years old
Please note: For legal reasons, we do not accept homemade copies of any type of media or commercial software that is not packaged with a book.
Finally, before you donate a book, hold on to the spine and shake each book gently. Very often people leave things in books and forget about them -- important things like receipts with banking numbers, personal photographs, greeting cards with handwritten messages, and even cash. If you forget and we find something and can identify you, we will try to return it to you. Please check before you donate.
Although customer preferences vary slightly across the Main, Taft and El Modena locations of Friends' Bookstore operations, here are the categories that are generally most welcome:
Antiquarian & Rare Books
Architecture / Art / Photography
Biography / Autobiography
Body, Mind & Spirit
Children's Books & Media
Coffee Table Books
Collectible Books
College Texts, current edition
Cooking / Food / Wine
Crafts & Hobbies
Fiction
Foreign Language & ESL
Games / Sports / Recreation
Gardening
Geography
High School Texts, to 3 years old
Home School Texts, to 3 years old
House & Home
Humor
Literature
Nature
Performing Arts
Pets & Animals
Reference
Religion
Science & Technology
Sheet Music
Social Sciences
Transportation Means
Travel
The following materials are expecially welcome:
Books on Tape
Music CDs
DVDs: Classics, Documentaries or Foreign Language Films
How-To DVDs
Large Print Books
The Children's Library has its own special requests for gently used donations:
Children's DVDs
Disney books
Board books
Christmas books
Donations are gratefully accepted at all three branches of the Orange Public Library. At the Taft and El Modena locations, it is best to bring them when the library is open. At the Main location, there is a donation box available 24/7 at the east end of the building in the parking lot. You can also bring donations in to the Bookstore during open hours.
At this time, it is not possible for the Friends or the Library to pick up donations. If you are considering a very large donation that might overwhelm our available workspace in the Bookstore (i.e. more than 2 or 3 copy paper-size boxes), it is best to call the Bookstore (714-288-2424) and make special arrangements.
The Friends are pleased to consider offers of unique or specialized collections that do not necessarily meet the standard guidelines above. In some cases, we may send a subject expert to your site to review a special collection. To discuss a donation that may be of unique value, please send a message to bookstore407@gmail.com.
If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, count the materials you are donating. The Friends can give signed and dated receipts for the number of items, but cannot assess the value of your donation.
