What does your local library do with old books?

Well our local town library usually sells old books for a small fee. They are beat up from being rented by numorous people but they can still be read. My old college used to set up racks just inside the doors of the library with books and magazines they wanted to get rid of and those were free.

Hi there ronaldinu! I really do not know what the local library does with the old books nowadays. However, I remember that in the past, I heard that the local library donates the old books to some communities that would need them. I don't think they are sold but of course I am not sure about that. Now that you have started this discussion, I think it would be interesting to find out what our local library does with all those old books under their care.

Hi Ronald, With old books, the local libraries hold annual book sales when they sell them off relatively cheap - like $1, $2, $5, etc. It is usually a crowded affair and I do pop by when I can make it. Everything is dumped everywhere so it is quite a bit of luck to grab something you want.

To be honest I have no idea what my two nearby libraries do with out-dated books. They used to have book sales which I loved and got great bargains, like a hardcover book for only $1.00 or $2.00. It never bothered me that maybe the books were old as some I found rare first editions (dating from the early 1900s) that otherwise would be very expensive to a book collector buying them in those rare book places. Anyway, the libraries have stopped their book sales, so my feeling is that they just throw them out..a shame when you think of it.

Erm i dont think our libraries do anything not the local libraries anyway. i remember at school they use to sell them to raise charity. But apart from that other libraries like college or university do not sell them or the local library so that sort of thing i think they just keep them until there not useable for anyone.

WE have a library that close where i live, i used to go there most of my spare time reading books, but i dont know exactly what they do to thier old books, i have no idea, but its nice when they give it to school or stay the library because a lot of people coming and read the books.

Our local library puts old books and also old cd's up for sale. Prices range between 50 eurocents and 4 euros depending how good the book or cd looks and how new it is. I don't know what happens to the books that don't get sold though. Perhaps they donate them to charity or they throw them away. I do know that the benefits of the sale of the old books is used to buy new additions to the library.

They have a table sale and put them up for the public to buy for a paltry price. It's nice because instead of having to check them out or paying a huge price for getting them otherwise. I love books and being able to get them for a much less or cheaper price.

They have a book sale at greatly reduced prices. If they cannot get rid of them, they donate them to Old Age homes and institutions where the patients want something to read. Now our Christian school has a library and that is what they do with them, but they also send books overseas to the Missions so that the children there can have practice learning English.

My local library sells them. They put them out as one comes into the main part of the library, and everyone can look through them and buy as many as they want. I've gone to the sale before, but I didn't find anything. I think any of the ones left go to Goodwill.

I don't know about the schools but one of my local library takes donations.They have a gi annual book sale.From Thursday to Sunday , there is a huge booksale.

Our library system has a book sale a couple of times a year. This gets books to people who want them and raises some money for the library. Husband and son went to the last one and bought a few books.

Our library used to always have a box of free books by the door but the past few years they have two big tables set up by the window that they have books for sale on. They never give out free books anymore they just throw them away. I think they think that if they give out free books that people will just take the free books and not buy any of the books that are for sale. I dont buy the books for sale anyway because I have so many books buying more would be insane but I think that people will still want to buy the books that are for sale because of certain authors they are interested in etc.

Hi ya ronaldinu My local library usually hold a sale at really low prices of the books that are still in reasonable condition. As for the ones that aren't, I don't have a clue. One of my son's schools recently were taking a collection of unwanted books from families so that the children could mend any broken ones and then they sent them off to Sierra Leone.

the gave to them to underprivileged children if I can remember correctly

All of the libraries around my house sell books all the time. The one that I go a lot to has a special place for books they no longer need that you can buy every time you go and they are very cheap. Also they have huge sales few times a year where they sell the books for 50c up to $5 (but I have never seen a book for $5) 99% of the books go for a $1 or 50c (australian). With the money they get they buy new books.

My library actually will sell the book you want if they have about two in, so my guess that is how they keep their turnover from old to new? littleowl

The school has a book sale and sells them. The local library does the same thing OR donates them to the hospital for people there.

i know they have a book sale a couple of times a year but other than that i don't know.

I don't know and i am active in the library support group. Maybe they feed them to goats, we have a lot of those around here or maybe they are used for the big fire the city has each autumn. I'll ask, thanks for the question