We’ve worked in many homes with large personal libraries – which is great! In my opinion, there’s no such thing as too much reading. However, physical books take up a lot of space. Once you’ve finished a book, there isn’t always a reason to hold onto it. We have plenty of tips on how to declutter your book collection, which you can learn about here.
Make an impact
Once you’ve done the hard job – decluttered and organized your books – we’re always happy to help! – it’s time to offload. If you’re anything like me, this means you’re now left with a pile (or many piles…) of assorted books to offload. Donation is a great option! The benefits of reading are innumerable. Donating your old books is a great way to share knowledge, imagination, learning and joy. There are so many people, young and old, who can benefit from receiving your old books. From children attending school districts in need of books to people staying in shelters, to the elderly living in assisted living facilities – book donations help everyone. Listed below are a few great options where you can donate your books to declutter your own home and make an impact in someone else’s.
Libraries
Many libraries accept book donations through a simple drop-off system. They often sell them at annual book sales to raise funds for the library, or sometimes add them to their own collection. Some libraries will pass along excess donations to libraries in greater need in their area. Contact your local library or simply check their website to see if they accept book donations. This is usually an easy place to drop off book donations where you know that they will go to good use.
Schools
Contact a local school to see if they are in need of books! Reading is a great hobby for anyone to have, with so many benefits. Encouraging reading in school-aged children can initiate a lifelong interest in reading! Children with access to good books will likely be more inclined to keep reading. This can aid in language development, creativity, knowledge beyond their own environment and experiences, and so much more.
Transfer Station
Stamford, Connecticut Transfer Station will gladly accept your book donations! While this location is Fairfield County specific, many transfer stations do the same. Check out your local transfer station to see if they’ll take your books and learn about where they rehome them. A transfer station can be a quick, easy and convenient donation location.
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
VVA’s self-proclaimed mission is to “promote and support the full range of issues important to all veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans, and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans.” If this cause speaks to you, the VVA is a great option for your book donations. You can even schedule a pickup right at your home! “We pay charities for your donations, which provides funding to help them further their programs and missions.” Check out their charities here.
Books4Everyone
Launched in 2015, Books4Everyone is a volunteer organization in Fairfield County, Connecticut that aims to promote literacy in the region. Information to contact them directly to donate (or to receive!) can be found on their website. They deliver books to schools, churches, the Peace Corps and more- for free!. You can drop off your donations at various locations in Darien, Greenwich and Stamford.
Sell your books
Here at Matt Baier Organizing we’ve helped clients sell their books with David Greif of Griffin Books. If you’re offloading books that you believe may have resale value- like rare or original editions or collectibles, David is a great resource!
Books are so important. But, once we’ve finished one we don’t necessarily need to hang onto it. Let’s face it, they take up a lot of valuable space! So consider snapping a photo of the title/author or jotting the information down for future reference, and then pass your book along so that someone else can enjoy it!
Do you have an excess of books cluttering your home?
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Testimonials
What some of our clients are saying
In the past several years, I had emptied 4 separate dwellings, my grandmother’s apartment, my mother's house, my mother-in-law’s house, and my mother’s next apartment.
Intrigued by the notion of death cleaning and the painful memory of the cleanouts, I too began to consider what I might choose to leave behind.
So, what began with a trial run, (a thorough clean out of my eldest son’s childhood bedroom) I was ready to accomplish something far greater.
When my kids learned of my intention to launch an attack on the mother of all clean-outs (the basement), they worried what this might entail both physically and emotionally, So, to my surprise, a plan was hatched for a consultation with organizer, Matt Baier!
Meeting with Matt, with the support of my husband, and in the presence of the madness (furniture from various owners, cardboard in every size and shape, school supplies from a lifetime of working in classrooms, and twenty-three plastic bins containing the details of my children’s lives)... felt like the perfect storm.
As we continued to mine through vessels of pottery, glass, random art supplies, remnants of carpeting, wood, and fabric, costumes, tubs, screens, windows, and a life-size stuffed man we called Ned, Matt was busy outlining a tactical plan of action. Meanwhile, as we stepped amid multiples of objects including, but not limited to, kitchen appliance, toys, exercise equipment, electronics, glassware, three TV’s, VHS tapes, cartons of emergency meals packed since 2001, and mountain of debris that hadn’t seen the light of day in years, Matt’s resolve only grew stronger.
Unequivocally, meeting Matt was the lifeline we needed to pull us up from the weight of what we no longer needed in order to pass it all on to those who could benefit from donations.
So with a plan in place, come that Wednesday, a team of three remarkable women arrived at 9:30 a.m. to bring order from the chaos, in two short days.
The process from day one would have been impossible to imagine. But these three incredible workers managed to remove everything from the basement in systematic stages, but not before passing each and every object, large and small, through my hands for my simple proclamation: keep, donate, trash or sell. Although daunting in scope, with each passing minute, the sorting really was simple, fast and surprisingly painless! Granted, I was a motivated purger, so nothing gave me more happiness than shouting: donate with as much gusto as I could muster!
These women were absolute angels. They were physically and mentally strong, determined to complete the work on time, and committed to organizing and reorganizing with thoughtful intention and microscopic precision to the work of sorting and discarding. In no time, as the basement grew unbelievably spacious, these three, then assembled new industrial shelving to accommodate clear, labeled bins (all provided by Matt) to create a visually consistent and clean appearance to this new system of organization
Through it all, Matt and his crew demonstrated common sense, sensitivity, practicality, wisdom, efficiency, an uncanny ability to problem solve and think on their feet, professionalism, most of all, kindness.
Included in the package was the capable Junkluggers crew. They arrived to haul it all away from my backyard: first to their charity center, then, to a consignment shop and finally to the dump to deposit my trash.
What a relief to watch them pull away with most of my basement firmly ensconced in the bed of their truck.
One week post clean out, I process the experience a little more each day. The sense of well being and gratitude I feel is immeasurable.
Thank you Matt!
We decided to use Matt Bowers organizers based on recommendations and meeting with Matt Bowers himself.
All of our expectations were met and more. His team of experts were great. They were true professionals in every aspect of the word. Always on time, very knowledgeable and experienced and very accommodating. All through the project they were very attentive to our needs and opinions. And not less important were always punctual and industrious.
Our house is so much more functional now and better organized while we managed to get rid and donate a huge amount of stuff that was just occupying space.
We highly recommend Matt Bowers Organization
Noni and Giora Davidai, New canaan CT
Matt and his team were very professional, responsive to my needs and were able to accommodate my aesthetic into their work. But most importantly they were fun to work with and I felt completely at ease discussing my challenges with them. They truly listened. I would recommend them for any project without reservation.
After several other moves, one of which we were only given a 24-hour notice to move all household items into storage, items were just boxed without labels. Since we had no idea where certain items were, duplicate items bought and used. Along came another move, and we continued to box and move those items again. Finally, we needed to combine similar items to reduce the clutter! The team worked so well, always exceeding my expectations by getting this massive project done! It is wonderful to be organized again and able to find items with ease.
The process with the Team is simple, and you work at your own pace. No one will pressure you to get rid of items. Also, there is a great option to donate items. We were fortunate to have boxes and boxes of kitchen items, household, and bathroom items neatly organized or donated to a charity. We can not thank the team members enough for all the work that they did.
We find so much more clarity with an organized home. The flow of our home is peaceful, and we no longer staring at clutter or rearranging boxes to get them out of view!
Matt's company came highly recommended by several local Realtors. At first, I was a bit concerned about the pricing seeming very expensive; I quickly realized that it was worth every penny and soon became a seasonal client.
The team arrives so prepared and professional; they know just what to do and I can be as involved as much as I choose; or not all. They just get the job done.
Just as an example, I had over 15 file boxes of papers and Matt's team organized and reduced it down to only 4 well organized drawers.
Our personal items were sorted, organized, donated or stored neatly throughout the house.
Matt's team was a life saver for my family. I would highly recommend their service; The results are well worth the investment.
Imagine An Organized Home