Spring Clean Your Bookshelves: 4 Great Reasons to Donate your Books
Bibliophile. If you are one, you know exactly what that word means”¦someone who LOVES books. And, if you are bibliophile, it’s likely you have a lot of books. Really, a whole lot. You just have a hard time giving up your books!
Sometimes it just takes one good reason to thin out your collection. How about 4 great ones for why you should donate them?
Books from Ohio Valley Goodwill
- Free up more space
Clutter. Dust. Overflowing bookshelves. It can be tough to clean out your books, but the pressure of trying to manage the unmanageable can become overwhelming.
Donating your books will let you “¦
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- Get rid of books you didn’t like (but still can’t throw away)
- Free up a corner that ” grew” a large stack of them during the year
- Give your books a second life
- Make room for new books
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These books were meant to make you happy, not cause frustration. This spring is a good time to pack them up and donate them to a charitable organization, like Ohio Valley Goodwill!
- Save time
From a practical standpoint, it may make more sense to donate your books rather than trying to sell them. Selling secondhand takes time and can be a major hassle. And, although that book is priceless to you, it might only be worth pennies on the dollar in a resale shop or garage sale. For example, selling to a local bookseller might actually only net you ¼ of the average retail value, depending on the age and condition of the book! It’s so much easier to drop your books at your nearest Goodwill donation site. We’ll take care of the rest!
- Help the planet
When we see our books almost literally bulging out of their spaces, it can be tempting to just box them up and throw them out. But, according to discoverbooks.com, about 40 million tons of paper is thrown away each year and paper accounts for 25% of all landfill waste in the US.
The fact is, throwing away books has a negative impact on our environment. By donating your books, you give them a chance to be reused and repurposed by someone else instead of sitting in a landfill.
- Benefit society
We are a society that reads less, according to a 2017 study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study indicates that less than 20% of American read for pleasure.
The Children’s Reading Foundation reports that children who fall behind in reading are likely to become our lowest income-earning adults. The good news is that developing essential readings skills with children is much less expensive and more effective than trying to help them catch up later. If you’re holding onto children’s books you don’t need anymore, donate to Goodwill! They’ll be resold in our retail stores at affordable prices, giving local families an opportunity to fill their bookshelves for less and inspire a love of reading in their children.
Gather up donations for Goodwill
Do society ““ and yourself ““ a favor by donating those gently-read, books to Ohio Valley Goodwill. Find your nearest donation site and feel good about finding a new home for your prized reading treasures!
