Before you plan to bring us your books, please make sure that we will be able to take them. See books we want.
K-12 Schools: We take book deliveries from schools by appointment only. Do not bring torn-up books or excessively-used ones with tattered bindings! School personnel with books to bring us, please schedule a time with Marilyn, at marilyn.nemzer@bookexchangemarin.org.
Please note boxing guidelines, below. We do not accept books that are not properly packed. We have neither the staff nor the space to deal with the problems created by boxes/books not packed and delivered according to our guidelines. The only exception: new sets of teacher materials prepackaged in their own solid containers. We would appreciate it if you make sure this section of our website, including the boxing and delivery guidelines, is given to your delivery person.
Everyone Else: You can bring us books during our regular open hours, Thursdays and Saturdays between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. If you have more than 4 boxes, please e-mail Marilyn to schedule a time. Please note our boxing and delivery guidelines, below.
Click here for essential information about which books we accept.
Many of our books are used again right here in our local community – in homes, schools, community centers and other nonprofit organizations. The majority of our books will travel across the seas to help improve the literacy of those less fortunate than we. Especially valuable books may be used for fund raising purposes to help pay the rent. If you have questions about books you’d like to donate, please e-mail Marilyn or come visit and talk to her during our open hours.
BOXING GUIDELINES:
- COMPACT. Books must be arranged compactly: do not use a large box for only a few books. If you only have a few books, paper bags are acceptable instead of boxes. Please – no plastic bags!
- STURDY. Boxes must be sturdy, not falling apart.
- REASONABLE SIZE. Boxes must be of a reasonable size. We will not accept oversized boxes that are unreasonably heavy. (The best boxes are the ones in which copy paper is usually packed.)
- TOPS CLOSED FLAT. Boxes must be packed with tops flat (preferably lidded) so they are stackable.
- RE-PACK OR TAKE BACK. If you bring us more than one box of books, we may ask you to re-pack or take back any boxes that are not packed according to the above guidelines. We will be happy to provide boxes for re-packing.
DELIVERY GUIDELINES:
Check in at our front door and let us know what you have to deliver. If you have only a few boxes, you can just carry them in or ask to borrow our hand truck. For larger loads, we might ask you to use our delivery entrance at the back of our building and a volunteer will explain the next steps.
With larger loads, we’ll indicate a pallet on which you will stack your books. Our volunteers may or may not be able to lift boxes to help you. The Book Exchange volunteer’s job is to make sure the pallet is packed in a way that will be secure, efficient and space-saving. It takes time to do it right, so it’s important for anyone making a sizable delivery to allow time to stack the boxes with care. We will explain to you exactly how we need it done. Proper box-stacking on pallets is of very high priority to the efficiency and safety of our operations.
Mailing books to The Book Exchange: Unfortunately, The Book Exchange can no longer accept books by mail. In special cases, if we can make an arrangement we will, but first e-mail Marilyn at marilyn.nemzer@bookexchangemarin.org.
