Spring Cleaning
Have you gotten the de-cluttering bug? Do you walk around looking for things to box up and donate, like our Curator Cat?
Oh, alright—it might be that Frankie just likes boxes!
But spring cleaning is a real phenomenon nonetheless. If you have books, magazines, and other papers you’re looking to clear out of your house this year, we have some tips!
What to do with old books and papers:
Take them to a local historical society?
Considerations:
Local historical societies are low on space. They may not be able to take your donation, but if they can, they will give it a very caring home.
Most societies will prefer you to reach out to them first, describe the collection you’re looking to get rid of, and let them decide if they can take on the responsibility of caring for the items.
This works best for:
letters, deeds, and other personal effects of people who lived 50+ years ago in the area the historical society serves
local newspapers, magazines, or newsletters from local organizations
books published by local authors or about local historical topics
2. Take them to thrift book stores?
Considerations:
Like historical societies, a lot of thrifted book stores have limited space. They may not want all your books.
Some secondhand book stories offer store credit in exchange for donations! Make sure you know the policies and plan for donating books to take some time as they go through your inventory.
Encyclopedias, medical books, financial advice, and computer reference books all lose a lot of their value over time, especially when they’re more than a year or two old. If you wouldn’t trust or need the information in the book, chances are no one at the book store will, either.
This works best for:
books in good condition
magazine collections (depending on the store)
3. Take them to charity shops
Considerations:
Places like the Restore, Goodwill, and local charities do often have a small book section!
These larger stores may have more room, so they may be less picky about what they can take.
They probably won’t offer you money or store credit for donations, but they may have a streamlined drop-off system.
Works best for:
books of all shapes and sizes
4. Find a local Little Free Library!
Considerations:
Little Libraries sometimes have limited space, but you can make a habit of checking a local one every week or so to drop off a few books (and maybe taking a few for yourself!)
Never used a Little Library? These are community-driven book sharing stations. You can search for one near you using their website.
Works best for:
Novels
Books on local history
5. Check with your local “big” library, too.
Considerations:
Local public libraries often run events like paper shredding or special recycling collection; check their calendars or ask a librarian.
Many libraries have a “Friends” group that functions like a second hand book store, taking donations to sell for a small amount of money. Check their donation policies for more information.
This works best for:
papers you’d like to get rid of that may be sensitive
very large collections of paper
recent books in good condition