Going Green @ Your Library

Explores ways public libraries can contribute to a sustainable environment.

Staying Green While Weeding

A key component to environmental literacy for public libraries is to lead by example.  So what’s a library to do with books that have been weeded from the collection?    I have heard many stories about after-dark trips to the library dumpster, but books placed in a dumpster are an unnecessary contribution to your town’s landfill.  Think creatively, and there are many uses for books that are no longer needed in your collection.   This month’s column will focus on ways your library can put weeded books in the hands of new readers.

Friends of the Library booksales are always a good way to resell materials.  The Friends of the Library Alachua County Library District in Gainsville, Florida is an example of a premier public library booksale that benefits a local library district.  The Alachua County Friends group sells used library books as well as books donated by the community. The group collects books throughout the year and has developed a solid following for their Spring and Fall booksales.  Information on the group, their booksale, grants that the group provides to non-profit organizations in Alachua County, and an up-to-date newsletter  is available at their website, “The Bookhouse”, http://folacld.org/.

Similar to friends of the library book sales, volunteers at Multnomah Public Library in Oregon use Alibris to sell the library’s weeded materials online.  Multnomah’s  book store, “Titlewave,”  is able to serve a wider range of customers than would be possible if the book sales were limited to on-site purchases.  A broader customer base will also result in potentially higher prices for the weeded books.  Alibris, founded in 1998, allows libraries to directly sell their weeded materials to Alibris’ world-wide customer base.  A library willing to spend the time and make the commitment to sell their own weeded books are able to recognize greater profits for those books removed from their collection.  Of course the the staff time involved in “advertising” a book in Alibris, plus the monitoring of the book sales and the shipping and tracking of sold books, is significant.  Titlewave can be searched at http://www.multcolib.org/titlewave/.

Several book resellers are are also wiling to market and sell library books that have been weeded from the collection.  Working with a book reseller not only provides a broader audience for your book, but also increases the chances that books end up with a person who will continue the book’s useful life.  With book resellers, any profit the library would receive from the sale of a weeded book will be shared with the book reseller.

Better World Books (http://www.betterworldbooks.com/)  is a book reseller that collects books libraries no longer need and makes them available for customers on their website.  Better World Books will send boxes to your library and pay for the shipping or delivery of your weeded books to their warehouse.  Better World Books handles the processing of the books, and your library will get a percentage of the profits made from each book sale.  A percentage of the book sale also goes to support world-wide literacy initiatives.  Working with Better World Books not only supports environmental awareness and keeps books out of the landfill, it also is an excellent public relations opportunity for your library. 

Powells (http://www.powells.com/) will purchase library books.  According to their website, Powell’s states that  they are  interested in scholarly, out-of-print, superseded and focused collections. A library can find out how much Powell’s will pay for a book by entering the book’s ISBN number at Powell’s website.  If you are weeding 500 books or more, the reseller may arrange to have the books shipped to them for evaluation.  If you contact Powell’s for more information, have the following information ready:  1) the number of books you are offering 2) a list of titles offered and 3) the subjects represented.

Some libraries may choose to not resell their weeded materials and may prefer to donate them to organizations who will put the books directly in the hands of people who will use them.  Examples of local agencies you may consider donating your weeded materials to include Books for Prisoners (http://www.bookstoprisoners.net/), Chicago Books to Women in Prison (http://chicagobwp.org/ ) or Books for Soldiers (http://www.booksforsoldiers.com/)  Also, look for local groups that may be interested in accepting your weeded books.  Groups such as the East Bay Children’s Book Project (http://www.eastbaychildrensbookproject.org/ ) in Oakland, CA connect books that need a new home with children who need books.  To locate local groups that may accept book donations, follow local newspapers for group announcements, ask your Board of Trustees members if they are aware of any interested organizations, and hang a simple sign in your library announcing the availability of weeded books to non-profit organizations.

If your books are outdated and can not be used by another reader, recycling the book may be the best answer.  Local recycling programs are always good avenues to dispose of books.  If you are not familiar with local recycling agencies  visit http://www.earth911.org and type in your zip code along with the items you are looking to recycle.  Local companies, agencies and other groups that can recycle your weeded materials will be listed.

Libraries can lead by example.  Choosing to dispose of weeded materials in the most earth-friendly way is a good step in the libraries commitment to environmental literacy.