Donate Books

Book Donations Procedures

Donations of new or gently used materials are accepted for the purpose of resale in the Friends Used Bookstore. 

Please review the donations guidelines below BEFORE donating.

Donations will be accepted at the Woods Branch during the following donation hours only:

• 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 10am-1pm

• 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 5pm -7 pm

Friends volunteers will be available in the Friends space to the right of the entrance on donation days.  Donations must be received by a Friends Volunteer - Library Staff will not accept donations.   All materials must be in reasonably good condition.  We can not accept items that are musty or moldy.  

Limit:  3 Grocery Bags or Small Moving Boxes per Household per Donation Day

Donations will not be accepted at the circulation desk and should not be put in the Library Return Drop Boxes.

Friends volunteers, Board Members, Library Staff and Librarians reserve the right to reject any or all items presented for donation for any reason.

Friends Accepts:

• Clean, Gently used fiction, non-fiction, mystery, history and biography books in good condition

• Clean undamaged copies of "classic" titles

• Children's books

• Cookbooks

• Trade size paper backs

• Local Detroit or Michigan related books

• Coffee table Books 

• Puzzles and games with all the pieces in the original box

• Blu-ray/DVD Videos (Commercially published - no copies)

• Music CDs

• Recent Books on CD

We do not accept:

• Items in poor condition (e.g. broken bindings, missing pages, soiled, musty/moldy, water-damaged, excessive writing in the text)

• Obviously outdated materials

• Pocket-size/small Paperbacks

• Religious Materials

• Reference materials of any kind including no textbooks, almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries, foreign language dictionaries. test preparation guides or study guides.

• Trade materials of any kind including no medical, financial, law, accounting, teaching or health guidebooks

• Diet Books

• Travel guidebooks

• Computer or Vehicle manuals

• Time/Life or Newsweek book sets  

• Reader's Digest Condensed Books

• Magazines

• Record Albums

• Books on Tape

• VHS Tapes

• Video games or computer software

If your items are ones we do not accept, Pickupplease.org is a donation option.   Tax-deductible forms are available.