Donating Used Books

Thank you for thinking of the Allegany County Library System! Donations help us keep our collections fresh and provide reading materials to our community. While we appreciate every offer, we aren’t able to accept every item due to space limitations, collection needs, and our Collection Development Policy.

✔ We Accept

We gladly accept books that are:

• In clean, gently used condition
• Free of mold, mildew, smoke odors, water damage, excessive wear, or missing pages
• Published within the last 2–3 years (in most cases)
• Titles that are likely to be of interest to our community and do not duplicate items already in our collection

✖ We Cannot Accept

Please do not donate:

• Books in poor condition (damaged, moldy, stained, or heavily worn)
• Outdated reference materials, textbooks, encyclopedias, or manuals
• Magazines or newspapers
• VHS tapes, cassette tapes, floppy disks, or obsolete media
• Large quantities of materials without contacting us first

What Happens to My Donation?

Every donation is evaluated based on the library’s collection needs.

Items may be:

• Added to the library’s collection if they meet current needs.
• Placed on one of our Free Reads shelves for community members to enjoy.
• Recycled or otherwise responsibly disposed of if they cannot be used.

Please note that donated materials become the property of the Allegany County Library System, and we are unable to return donated items.

Before You Donate

• Bring donations during regular library hours.
• Pack books in manageable boxes or bags that one person can safely lift.
• If you’re donating a large number of items, please contact your local library before bringing them in.

Looking for Another Place to Donate?

If your books don’t meet our donation guidelines, consider donating them to:

• Goodwill
• Barkin’ Basement
• Allegany County’s recycling program (for books that are no longer usable)

Why These Guidelines?

Our goal is to provide a collection that is current, relevant, and well-used by our community. Because shelf space is limited and many popular titles are already part of our collection, we must carefully evaluate every donation. These guidelines help ensure that staff can make the best use of donated materials while keeping our collections welcoming, useful, and easy to browse.

Thank you for supporting your library through your generosity!