Summary: Updated November 15th, 2019 Here’s a list of book donation pickup services in the U.S. by city. Book donation pickup services are run by organizations, as a way to help raise money and find good homes for books. This is usually a cause marketing effort or charity thrift store that re-sells the books and uses the profits to fund a cause. Yet many books still go in the trash for lack of a better home.
Here is a database of places to donate books. It is by city if a major metropolitan area or by state if a smaller city.
Atlanta Metro
| Website | Name | Description |
| Name | American Kidney Services | American Kidney Services uses book donations as a way to generate revenue through selling the books. Residents of Atlanta, Tucker, Woodstock, Kennesaw, and surrounding areas can scan their packed book shelves for donations and use the above link to schedule a pickup. Also in Columbus, Ohio. |
Gainesville, GA Next Chapter Bookstore picks books up and helps those with disabilities to reach their maximum opportunity for independence.
Boston – More Than Words operates a donation warehouse in Waltham and offering services to all of Eastern Massachusetts and beyond, according to their site.
Chicagoland
Open-Books offers curb side pickup and several donation drop-off points on the North and South side. They have a very robust in-store retail operation, putting the books to good use. My aunt used their service and said it was outstanding.
Books-4-Cause offers free book pickups with a minimum value of $25 and supports sending books to Africa. About 13% of books are sold to pay for operations. Great site and several innovative options.
The Salvation Army – www.satruck.org
If you are cleaning out the basement or the attic and you have a lot of furniture, large appliances and household goods that need to go, then the Salvation Army is your place to go. You can bring your goods to the family stores, drop-off locations, or schedule a pickup online. By donating your used items, you’re helping a worthy cause of assisting an adult get back on their feet at one of the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers that provide spiritual, social and emotional assistance to men and women.
Visit their website for more information on donating your items, including a list of the goods they accept and donation value guide.
Goodwill on 9321 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60643 takes book donations in Chicago
North Park Nature Center – Recycling Drop-off 5801 N. Pulaski Rd. Chicago, IL 60646. Open every day, 9 to 5, They have an informal book exchange.
City Recycling Drop-Off (the Loop)- Great for damaged or moldy books. 1758 S Clark St, Chicago, IL 60616.
Suburban Chicago
Aurora, IL. Deja Vu Furniture Showroom and Bargain Basement
911 Sullivan Road (entrance is on Eastwood Street) Aurora, IL 60506
630-397-8555
Hours: Wednesdays, 12-4pm Thursdays, 2-6pm Fridays, 9am-3pm
Saturdays, 9am-1pm
Elmhurst, IL – JMC Barbershop 105 Addison Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126. This music-themed barbershop is also a book donation drop off point for the western suburbs of Chicago. Drop-offs of up to ten boxes can be made Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Geneva, IL. – Deja Vu Thrift Shop 427 S 4th Street Geneva, IL 60134
630-232-6621. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Sunday, 9am-2pm (mid-April thru Mid-November)
Lagrange – THE NURSES COMMUNITY SHOP. 23 Calendar Avenue, La Grange, IL 60525 Phone: 708-354-3803
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 10:30 am – 6 pm
Thursday: 10:30 am – 8 pm
Wilmette/North Shore – You can drop books of at the main library branch of the Wilmette Public Library at 1242 Wilmette Avenue. Go to the Wilmette friends of the library page for hours and guidelines. They make it real easy and Book Driver helps them keep the books flowing!
Dallas Leukemia Texas offers free book donation collection and have a cool way of using the books. Instead of selling them, the donations are sold in bulk to local thrift stores with proceeds going to patient aid and research programs.
AMVETS pickup books and other household items in its effort to better connect veterans with services. They serve Dallas and Fort Worth.
Denver Metro
– Book Driver of, course! Give us a call as we have the fastest free book donation service in the world! We offer a free pickup of books and you can also drop off at the following locations. These are homes or businesses that volunteered to help out. Please give us a heads up before dropping books off.
Dream Books offers an interactive calendar of their drop off book bins at this link.
The VVA is good too, for a book donation pickup but takes a couple of weeks.
Highlands Ranch – might try Douglas County Libraries.
Loveland – The Sorting Place – 1010 W. 10th St. Loveland, CO 80537 Open Tuesdays 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.; Wednesdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m
Los Angeles – Hope Pickup offers book donation pickup as part of it’s Teen Challenge program. It is the mission of Teen Challenge to provide men and women an effective and comprehensive faith-based solution to drug and alcohol addiction as well as other life-controlling problems.
Michigan
Escanaba/Upper Peninsula Canterbury Book Store will make sure your book donations find a good home. They are an open bookstore with a fifty-year history and work with the local library so one way or another, your books get re-used! Make sure to tell them your heard about it through Book Driver. Questions 906 786-0751.
New York
Books4Cause – This organization does regular pickups in Manhattan. You can register on their website. They are a Full Service Donation Pickup Service also including books and other goods. – They bring boxes, tape, and provide the muscle. Also in Chicago.
Portland, Ore. – Givsmart runs a book donation service in Portland and also Washington. They have a different spin, allowing donors control over aspects of where the revenue actually goes. It also seems like they are focusing on bearing the costly part of book donations (picking them up, sorting them, selling them) and allowing non-profits to mainly collect money and work on their mission. Keep it up Givsmart!
San Diego – Donate Books SanDiego gives books to children with special needs, as well as to raise funds. Books, CD’s, DVD’s, video games and small household items are welcome. The website supports Special Heroes and they also have donation drop-off locations.
Salt Lake City – DonationTown is a directory which will match you with local organizations needing books. It looked they were picking up items for donation but will update if that’s no longer true.
San Francisco – Friends of the SF Library recycle over 600,000 books each year, keeping them in the hands of readers and out of landfills, saving nearly 50 tons of paper and 250 tons of green house gas emissions.
Washington, DC. – Books for America serves the immediate Washington, D.C. metro area. Pickups are available if you have at least 50 media items (books, CDs, or movies).