Donating, Part 2: The Adventure Continues
Last year I wrote a blog titled, “Donating? Remember, We Take *Almost* Everything…”
To recap, it is a post with a humorous reminder (that was the intent, at least) about donating to our pop-up and major books sales. Using the adage, “If you wouldn’t want it on your shelf, then neither will our book sale shoppers,” we showed examples of exactly what is NOT wanted.
As we approach this year’s Missouri River Regional Library and ABLE's* Used Book Sale which is March 12-15, there is an uptick in last-minute donations that people are bringing in boxes, bags, and laundry baskets. While we appreciate them, it takes time to go through donations and weed out books that are torn, dirty, moldy or out of date; games that are broken or incomplete; formats that we no longer sell (we’re looking at you, cassettes and VCR tapes); and items we specifically avoid: textbooks, magazines, and encyclopedias.
And for that, we take you into the murky recesses of the library.
Because our ABLE volunteers examine donations before sorting them by Dewey number, age for children’s books and fiction genres, we fail to keep up. Some items are also researched to see if they may be worth more because of age or rarity.
The farther we fall behind, the taller the stacks of boxes grow in the hallway. In the sorting area, flat services begin to disappear as the sorters have to be more creative.
And still, the books come.
Enjoy the pictures, while keeping these thoughts in mind:
- Our patrons and the community are wonderful. Thanks for your generosity!
- As nice as you are, our ABLE volunteers are terrific! Consider all the work they do to make our book sales so well-regarded in this region. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
- While your donations are appreciated now, remember they are accepted year-round. Your donations may not make this year’s sale but there will be place, eventually, for those items that make it through inspection.
Not everything we receive is wanted. No kidding. If you are not sure, refer above and to the earlier post and weed your donations accordingly.
