Recycling Text Books?

Welcome edithdoll!

Nice to see you again - it has been a while! I am interested if anyone is able to dig up such a organization to recycle textbooks. At present I believe that publishers do have a way to distribute unsold new books to a huge consortium of non-profit agencies and public facilities. I am aware of this having worked in a maximum security prison as a teacher.

As for 'older' textbooks - many donation collection agencies like Goodwill and the Salvation Army give the textbooks to sheltered workshops where they are prepared for recycling. As in: covers are removed and the pages are torn away from the binding. Then, they can be recovered in paper recyling.

I know that you meant recycling in an educational sense, however. This may sound odd, but most prisons will be happy to accept such donations of books for their libraries. There are precious few resources for recreation or self-education there, so books are often welcomed. As you can imagine, there is limited funding for the libraries in prisons to purchase books. In my classroom I had a globe to use with my adult students who were at grade levels 3 to 5 - but it was from 1940!!!! To purchase a new one, it would eat up about 1 tenth of my teacher budget for the next fiscal year. I did order one, and I hope that it was passed along to the teacher who replaced me in that position.

Hi edithdoll - love your avatar.

I found some of these organizations at the Special Library Association (SLA) - click on the blue print to go to their websites.

SLA Contacts for Book Donations

The World Library Partnership (WLP)

"The WLP is dedicated to building global understanding by promoting literacy, learning and access to information. The WLP advocates for sustainable, community-based libraries in developing areas of the world."

The WLP suggests that it is sometimes not a good thing to donate books to foreign countries (CLICK HERE), and that you could just sell the books and donate money (More here).

Otherwise, here are some organizations that may accept book donations:

Books for Africa
5233 Silver Maple Circle
Minneapolis, MN 55343
Phone: 612/939-9889
Fax: 612/933-6966

Sends books to various countries in Africa; books should be new or barely used; textbooks should be no more than eight years old; atlases no more than five years old; encyclopedias should be the most recent edition. National Geographic and other educational magazines are also accepted. People interested in donating materials should first contact BFA to see if the books/journals are acceptable.


Books for Asia
Melissa A. Frakes, Office Supervisor
451 Sixth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415/982-4640
Fax: 415/543-8131
[email protected]

Division of The Asia Foundation, 501(c)(3) non-profit established in 1954. Ships over 500,000 books per year to various Asian nations. Accepts donations of books provided they are in excellent condition and not more than eight yeras old. Donors of used books must ship to our San Francisco warehouse at their expense.


Bridge to Asia - Sharing knowledge between East and West

Bridge to Asia

Accepts new or used books; no American history, foreign language, or lifestyle (i.e. diet, pop psychology) books accepted; book list not required, but would be appreciated.

Correspondence only:
Bridge to Asia
450 Mission Street, Suite 407
San Francisco, CA 94105-2521
Phone: (415) 356-9040
Fax: (415) 356-9044

Shipping address (Western U.S.):
Bridge to Asia
Osgood Warehouse Services
Pier 23
San Francisco, 94111

Shipping address (Eastern U.S.):
Bridge to Asia
c/o Follett Campus Resources
2211 West Street
River Grove, IL 60171-1800


Darien Book Aid Plan, Inc

Mail books to institutions and libraries around the world; deals with Peace Corps volunteers.

Darien Book Aid Plan
Peggy Minnis
1926 Post Road
Darien, CT 06820
Phone: 203/655-2777
Fax: 203/866-4070
[email protected]


World Bank Volunteer Services Book Project

Accepts books in good condition; school textbooks, vocational and professional texts, general reading and library books; sent to developing countries around the world.

World Bank Volunteer Services Book Project
1818 H St., NW
Room NB1-105
Washington, DC 20433
Phone: 202/473-8960
Fax: 202/676-0419
[email protected]


World Vision

Sends books to educational programs, schools, and institutions in Africa and Latin America. People interested in donating materials should call World Vision first to see if the books are acceptable.

World Vision
34834 Weyerhauser Way South
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
Phone: 206/815-2267


The following is a great web page that lists programs in many different countries. Most of these are in need of Medical books, but if you look through the extensive listing you'll see many that need other types of books as well. For example, the Uganda Child Fund: "Desperately need books in the following fields: medical, veterinary, economics, computer science, business, marketing management, agriculture, encyclopedias, secondary textbooks, University textbooks in political science, sociology, law, primary education, early childhood education, general reading including literature, fiction, non-fiction and library books. Also desparately in need of used computers and teaching equipment for schools."

SUNY Health Sciences Library Book Donation Programs


Hope this helps you.

Here are some more - why not, lets be thorough.
I found a message on another discussion group with a similar list, so I am stealing some of it from there and posting it here. It is from 1996, so some of these may not be around anymore.

Book Donations to the Third World

Books for the Third World

American Chemical Society -- Project Bookshare
202-872-4548
Dr. Joyce Torio
Collects Chemistry and chemical engineering texts and journals not more than ten years old. Distributes to small U.S. Colleges and to universities in low-income developing nations. Submit list of books to be donated in advance.

Brothers' Brother
1501 Reedsdale St. #305
Pittsburgh, PA 15211
412-321-3160
Luke Hingson

Collects books of all kinds from children's books to technical texts (except uniquely American books such as local histories and computer guides). Distributes them (three million a year) in containers to twenty three countries (Philippines, Jamaica, Africa etc.).

Camaroon Renaissance Association
% Josue Njock Libii
Engineering Department
Indiana University -Purdue University
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805
[email protected]

Seeking college level texts and books for the National University of Camaroon.

International Book Bank
815 Central Ave., Suite F
Linthicum, MD 21090
410-636-6895

Receives books of all kinds. Catalogues and warehouses them. Non-profit groups from overseas request those which would be most useful. Books are free to the recipient but the recipient pays shipping. Receipts for donors are available if requested, which then can be used for income tax
deduction purposes. Distributing to Eastern Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, Philippines, etc.

International Book Project
Lexington, Kentucky
606-254-6771
Pat

Contact them before donating. Collecting books in all categories. Must be in good shape. Small shipments to Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe.

Library of the University of Zambia
P.O. Box 32379
Lusaka, Zambia

Prof. Gus Mattersdorf (Lewis and Clark College) encourages people to send books directly, especially technical or theoretical ones, to this "vastly underfunded and badly understocked" library.

Sabre Foundation
872 Massachusetts Ave. Suite 2-1
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-868-3510
Rebecca Schneider

Distributes books in Eastern Europe and former U.S.S.R. through non-profit channels. Deals mainly with publishers overruns and does not actively seek used books except for special needs (e.g. law books for the Ukraine). Is working, however, on a comprehensive website for book
donations. Look for it soon at http//www.sabre.org.

World Bank Volunteer Services Book Project
Washington, D.C.
202-473-8960

Collects and ships books to countries in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Accepts donations in good condition. Texts no more than 10 yrs old. Journals no more than 5. Warehouse is in Upper Marlboro, MD. Office in Washington open Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. -- 2:00 p.m.

YEAH LARRY! GO, BABY GO!

Most fasinating reading thru the sites you listed! I'm glad you took on the search challenge!

Aw shucks, twernt nuthin'

Oh my gosh Larry, thanks so much!
Unfortunately some of my high school and college books might be too old for most of them, but the grad books will definitely qualify!

Hi Cobalt!