Friends: Book Donations
The Friends of the Sojourner Truth Library gratefully accepts most donations of new and gently used books and media. Small donations of an armful of books or a carrier bag or two can be given directly to the staff at the Circulation Desk whenever the Library is open. Larger donations must be scheduled at least 5 business days in advance.
PLEASE NOTE: LARGE DONATIONS ARE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 15, 2024. YOU ARE WELCOME TO CONTACT SUSAN LIVINGSTON TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS AFTER THIS DATE.
To schedule a donation, email Sue Livingston at livingss@newpaltz.edu or call (845) 257-3654. Someone will get back to you to make arrangements to take your donation. We try to reply within a day or two, but staffing schedules and academic vacation periods may affect our response time.
We DO Accept
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Clean hardback books
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Clean paperback books
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Clean children’s books
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Clean Young Adult books
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CDs
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Vinyl LPs, 45s, and 78s
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Audio books on CD
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Video games
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8-track cassettes
We DO NOT Accept
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Books with missing or badly torn covers
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Books with excessive highlighting, coloring, underlining
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Moldy books
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Books damaged by liquids
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Magazines or academic journals
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Encyclopedia sets
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Reader’s Digest condensed books
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Academic textbooks more than 5 years old
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VHS tapes
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Cassette tapes
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Laser disks
Where Do I Bring My Donation?
Scheduled donations must be brought to the Library’s loading dock, located on the ground floor on the western (Shawangunk Ridge) side of the Library. We are sorry, but as a small volunteer organization, we do not have the staff to make off-campus home or office calls. However, our loading dock and hand trucks will make the transfer of boxes from your car very easy.
Four simple guidelines for preparing your donation:
- Be sure you have separated out items that we do not accept (see list). Moldy books in particular pose a significant risk to the Library’s collections. Please do not include them.
- For the safety of our staff, avoid packing large boxes, which can become very heavy when filled with books. Aim for 20 pounds or less, the amount that can fit into a small moving box, a liquor or wine box, or a shopping bag. We always appreciate help unloading if you able.
- Dust off and/or wipe off any dusty books or media before boxing or bagging them, especially the top edges. Dust accumulations pose a health risk to our volunteers.
- Separating your donation by broad subject area or type (fiction, non-fiction, classic paperbacks, cookbooks, kid’s books, sports, woodworking, DVDs, etc.) and labeling your boxes or bags can save our volunteers a lot of time.
What will happen to my donation?
When appropriate, donated books and media are first offered to the Library as new titles to the permanent collection or replacements for worn copies. The majority of donations do not fit the needs of the Library, however, and so are offered to professional book buyers and the general public at our periodic sales. Only after several attempts to sell donated materials will we give items away to Library patrons or other organizations, or as a last resort, recycle them.
All proceeds from our book and media sales benefit are donated to the Library for collection development and educational programming.
Can I claim my donation as a tax deduction?
The Friends can provide you with a SUNY New Paltz Foundation “Donation of Gifts of Tangible Personal Property” form on request. All information on the form is self-reported; we cannot provide a valuation of your donation or a tally of the items donated. We strongly recommend that you carefully count the items in your donation and seek the guidance of a tax professional before claiming a deduction. Most tax filers do not itemize deductions, so do not need the form.
Can I help the Friends in other ways?
Yes! You are always welcome to join the Friends as a member. Membership information and an online registration form are available at here.