We welcome your donated books, audio books, movies, and music!
Your donations of books and media help us raise money to fund library programs. Donated materials are sorted and sold at our book sales.
To donate books, simply take them to the circulation desk of any of the Library’s branches! In Corvallis, please take them to the landing at the bottom of the stairs off the parking garage during open hours instead of the circulation desk.
Book Donation Guidelines
We accept:
- Hardcover and paperback books in good condition.
- Commercially published media such as CDs, DVDs, and audio books.
We do not accept the following materials:
- Damaged books with broken bindings, missing pages, soiled, musty, moldy, with smoke or water damage, or with excessive writing or underlining in the text
- Toys, games, puzzles
- Artwork
- Magazines
- Condensed books (Reader’s Digest)
- Professional journals
- Encyclopedias
- Non-commercially produced media
- Workbooks or study guides that are partially or wholly filled in
- Computer programs
- Clearly outdated materials (see below for guidelines)
We accept certain materials within specified limits:
- Price guides and almanacs (current only)
- Medical and financial advice books (less than 5 years old)
- Travel guidebooks (less than 5 years old)
- Computer manuals (less than 5 years old)
- Textbooks (less than 10 years old)
- Test preparation guides (less than 5 years old)
Space in the Sorting Room is very limited so if you have a large donation with multiple boxes, please call 541-766-6928.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much can I claim as a charitable donation?
- We do not determine the value of the donation. Receipts can be provided designating how many paperbacks and hardbacks were donated at the drop-off location, or at the library’s main circulation desk.
- What happens to the items I donate?
- Books are sorted depending on the quality and condition of the donated items. Books of value will be sold online through our online book store, Benton Books. Most books will be sold in the Big Book Sale in February, or our smaller sales such as the Fall Festival Paperback Sale, or the Holiday Sale. We also sell books that are duplicates, and books that are not in as good a condition at our Book Sale Rooms/Shelves at each of our branch libraries year round.
- Where do I go to donate my books and other items?
- In Corvallis, bring donations of books to the landing at the bottom of the stairs off the parking garage during open hours. At all other branches, donations may be taken to the circulation desk.
- For assistance with larger donations, call 541-766-6928.
Thank you for your interest in making donations to the Friends of the Corvallis Benton County Public Library!