Where to Donate Books during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Books can sometimes feel like our most valuable of treasures; their ability to transport, inform, and instruct can feel magical. If you are the type of person who is currently reading a blog post on a library website, I don’t think I have to make too strong a case about the feelings that books inspire.

 

Because of those feelings, it is understandable that we feel guilty when we run out of space in our lives or our shelves for ALL the books we would ideally like to keep. Therefore, instead of tossing our old books in the dumpster or leaving them in a box on the curb, we attempt to share the joy that these books have provided to us (or a loved one).

 

Here at the Flowood library, we have received MANY calls recently asking whether we are accepting book donations at this time. Unfortunately, due to the current CMRLS policy during this pandemic, we are unable to accept donations right now. Although we surely will in the future again, it is impossible to know exactly when that will be.

 

In the meantime, I have researched some options if you need to downsize your book collection for the foreseeable future. Wherever you decide to take your donations, please DO make sure that any books you want to donate are in good condition. A couple years ago, I stored my Harry Potter hardbacks in a place where the Mississippi heat and humidity got to them, growing mold and bending the cover. It bummed me out, but I had to throw them away, because nobody wanted to read those books! Anyway, here are some of your options.

 

1. Goodwill - I called the Goodwill Center at the Crossgate Shopping Center in Pearl, and the associate I spoke to said they are accepting books. The address is 5708 Highway 80 East in Pearl, and the hours are 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. You might still want to consider calling ahead 601-664-3424.

 

2. Salvation Army Family Store - The Salvation Army Store is accepting books at this time. They request no textbooks nor encyclopedias be donated. The address is 110 Presto Lane, Jackson, MS, 39206. The donation hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Please call 601-982-4881 to schedule an appointment.

 

3. Big House Books - Big House Books is an organization that sends free books to Mississippians in prison and juvenile correction that request them. While they are not accepting general donations, they are currently looking for paperback copies of “dictionaries, urban fiction, CDL manuals, trade learning, GED manuals, James Patterson books, and John Grisham books.” E-mail bighousebooksms@gmail.com to donate if you have any books that fit this description.

 

4. Little Free Libraries - You may have probably seen a little free library before. They are book donation boxes in publicly accessible areas where you can leave and/or take books. There is a helpful (although incomplete map) in the Little Free Library Website link below, listing several in Brandon, one in Mize, and plenty in Jackson. Our friend and former librarian Lisa B. tipped me off that there is a Little Free Library in Winner’s Circle Park (across from the Flowood Library) next to the vending machines, and one on Lakeview Drive, not too far from Oakdale Elementary.

 

For more information, please visit these websites:

 

http://goodwillms.org/locations/

 

https://salvationarmyalm.org/jackson/family-store-salvation-army/

 

https://bighousebooksms.org/

 

https://littlefreelibrary.org/

 

Show Us Your Books!

February is Library Lover’s Month, and the Forest Public Library is announcing one of its most ambitious promotions of the year: SHOW US YOUR BOOKS! Throughout the month of February, the Friends of the Forest Public Library, along with other library partners, will be participating in a book drive goal of 100 new nonfiction books to update the library’s collection. Librarian Dianne McLaurin explains the purpose for the book drive. “We are asking as many individuals, businesses, organizations, and supporters as possible to donate one (1) new nonfiction book to the library during the month of February. Just one! Despite continued reductions, the library’s book budget sustains the fiction areas of the library with bestsellers and favorite authors; however, the budget to purchase new nonfiction is almost nonexistent. This collection is vital to the library’s relevance and circulation, which is why we are so excited about the upcoming book drive. We want people to show us their passions, show us their interests, show us their love, and show us their books!”

According to McLaurin, an old, irrelevant, out-of-date nonfiction collection sends us message that a library is all of those things, too. "We often hear that libraries are not a bookstores, but we are not museums either. In this age of digital design and colorful graphics, covers make a huge difference to a patron perusing a shelf. We have a responsibility to provide patrons with the most current and attractive resources available. The idea of that "old book smell" does not apply when a library's goal is to be a modern conduit of information."

The book drive begins February 1^st and ends with a Mardi Gras Party on Fat Tuesday! Each person, business, organization, or supporter who purchases one new nonfiction book or gives a donation for a single book purchase receives Mardi Gras beads and an invitation to attend. The program will feature New-Orleans style food and music, along with a display of the new collection.  According to McLaurin, the Mardi Gras theme is part of the promotion. “Last year, the library received a large donation of Mardi Gras beads – bags full of beads. We didn’t know how we would ever use them, then we came up with the idea…Beads for Books! Show us your books, and we will throw you our beads! We have a container filled with beads in the center of the library, so we can accommodate plenty of books."

McLaurin stated that additional information on the donation process is available at the library; however, she explained the basics. “Donations can cover any subject from flea markets to finance, from Legos to law, from baking to banking, from tattoos to technology, from religion to real estate, from sports to sewing, from dinosaurs to drawing. Whatever your career, hobby or interest, show us your books! Parents and grandparents may also wish to donate books for the juvenile nonfiction collection on behalf of the children in their families, as well as teachers for the grades and subjects they teach. We have an extensive subject list available at the front desk.”

Several options are available to anyone who wants to purchase a book, since not everyone is able to visit a bookstore during the month of February. New nonfiction books can be purchased directly from online websites such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon. If anyone isn’t sure how to order online, the staff at the library can find books based on specific interests and within a donation range, then choose a book according to what we have and what we need. During the cataloging process, a book plate will be placed at the front of the book with the name of donor and the year. Many nonfiction books range from $20-25, which might not seem like much for one individual, business, or organization; however, multiply that amount by 100, and the contribution to the community is invaluable.

For more information concerning the 2019 nonfiction book drive, please contact the Forest Public Library by telephone at 601-469-1481 or by email at forest@cmrls.lib.ms.us. The library is part of the Central Mississippi Regional Library System serving public libraries in Rankin, Scott, Simpson, and Smith counties.

New Ways to Support the Brandon Library!

We at the Brandon Library are excited to announce that we are now affiliated with Amazon Smile!

Much like our Kroger Community Rewards Program, Amazon Smile allows patrons to support us with no cost and no effort! Go to smile.amazon.com and select "Friends of the Brandon Library" as your organization of choice. As long as you log in to Amazon via smile.amazon.com, .05% of your entire purchase total is donated to us each time you shop! This may not seem like a lot, but remember: every little bit helps.

(Besides, we're librarians! We're used to doing a lot with a little.)

Are you gearing up for a big virtual trip to Amazon this Black Friday? Want to get a head start on the Season of Giving? We have the perfect opportunity for you.

Click here or call the library at 601-825-2762 for details!

A THANKSGIVING WINNER AT THE PEARL PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Robert McCarty, Sara Smith (L), Cecelia Sandifer

It's a happy day for one lucky fella at the Pearl Library! That would be Robert McCarty of Pearl. He entered the Thank Goodness for the Library drawing and won!

The prize was a turkey and gift card - $50 total value - donated by the Pearl Wal-Mart.

The Library's own Cecelia and Sara share the photo spotlight with Robert and his awesome winnings!

We hope Robert has a wonderfully, happy Thanksgiving, and we are so glad he is thankful for the Pearl Library!

The Pearl Library would like to thank Wal-Mart of Pearl for the generous $50 donation!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Flowood Donations . . . Thank You!

     The G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Library in Flowood, MS would like to thank all of the patrons who donate items to the Flowood Library.  Your generous donations help to support the library in these troubled economic times.  Most people are anonymous donors, so we never get the opportunity to thank them personally. 

     

One of our most recent donations contained nearly 60 brand new copies of Writers and Their Works.  We don't know who donated the books, but we are very happy to have them.  They are going to make a perfect addition to our collection. 

     Again, the Flowood Library would like to say "THANK YOU" for your incredible generosity.