Donate books: libraries, bookstores and NGOs that improve the world with your used books

Reading books, both in children and in young people or adults, influences the possession of a greater vocabulary and better spelling, as well as memory capacity and the development of imagination. According to statistics, the donation of books has had a significant impact on the habit of reading on the part of all groups, which is why various institutions develop important campaigns aimed at encouraging the action of donating books.

Book donation in Spain

There are many places where you can give away used books in Spain. Many bookstores receive these books and then sell them at very low prices, to allocate the profit to some altruistic work. Others even buy used books and, in this case, even if it is not a donation, it is still contributing so that other people can access the books.

As for encyclopedias, it is very difficult for a bookstore to accept them even if they are donated, since their subsequent placement is complicated. Therefore, if the concern is where to take old encyclopedias, the best option is to donate them to school libraries or to some charitable institutions such as orphanages or nursing homes, as well as prisons.

The same happens when you want to donate old textbooks, since they have a very short life. For this reason it is advisable not to accumulate them and as soon as the school year ends, exchange them for those of the new course, for which there are book banks, sometimes even in the educational centers themselves.

Many people have large amounts of books that they no longer use and that deteriorate over time, so it is convenient to donate them, or sell them at a low price so that others benefit, with the essential condition, in all cases that the books are in good condition.

If you are one of those people and you are considering where to donate used books, you will surely find the information that follows useful with the best places to donate or sell your books.

Re-Read Bookstores

This bookstore chain, which began in Barcelona in 2012 as a small business, has now become a franchise with a presence in almost every city in Spain. It is recognized because recently published books can be purchased for incredible prices, thanks to its marketing model. They buy any used book, except for encyclopedias and textbooks, paying one euro per unit. In this way, people acquire books, read them and then sell them, and the texts are in permanent circulation. The bookstore also accepts donations and, if it exceeds five boxes, it takes care of its transfer. In Madrid they already have five offices in:

If you want to consult about the address to donate books in Valencia, Barcelona, ​​A Coruña, Bilbao, Santander, Seville, Zaragoza or 28 other cities, you can enter their page: https://www.re-read.com/

TuuuLibrería – Madrid

This bookstore, popularly known as Tu librería in Madrid, was born as a non-profit initiative to contribute to the development of culture and provide access to books for those people who can't buy them. For this reason, anyone is allowed to bring as many texts as they want, paying what they consider appropriate as a contribution, and it is also possible to join the club for a modest monthly fee.

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Additionally, TuuuLibrería gives books to charities, so if you are wondering where to donate books in Madrid, this is one of the most recommended options, as long as they are not encyclopedias or textbooks.

They have two offices in Madrid and until recently one in Barcelona, ​​but in the latter city the project did not prosper and they had to close. The Madrid addresses are:

Libros Alcaná Madrid

This is a store that sells used books at very good prices and in its store you can get those titles that are no longer in circulation. If you have books that you don't use and you've been considering where to sell books in Madrid to get some benefit from them, the perfect option is Libros Alcaná, which also offers a book collection service at home in Madrid, although you can also stop by the bookstore. The procedure is to fill out a form or communicate with them by WhatsApp. After agreeing on the transaction, they go to your house, pick up the books, and pay you in cash unless you prefer another method. Their contact details are:

Student Platform – Madrid and Barcelona

The Student Platform sells used textbooks in Madrid, as well as in Barcelona, ​​at very convenient prices, so although it is not a donation As such, you will still be contributing to allowing others to have access to those texts.

This bookstore is one of the largest in its specialty and the best place if you are wondering where to sell used textbooks in Madrid or Barcelona. In this regard, it is important to remember that textbooks lose their validity very quickly and, for sale, the acceptance limit is generally two years from when they were published. Therefore, if you are thinking about what to do with old textbooks, you will have to find another destination for them.

The Student Platform has a collection of used books in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​and you can also visit its bookstores. Once they review the texts, they offer a sum and pay in cash. The stores are located at the following addresses:

Melior Bookstore

This store belongs to the Melior Foundation, which through several NGOs collaborates with different educational projects in the world related to education, making it one of the first options to evaluate if you are thinking of donating used books in Madrid. The bookstore only sells used books, which are donated by institutions or individuals, and buying them contributes to their cause.

They accept all kinds of books, old or new and of any genre, except textbooks or encyclopedias, although they have made occasional campaigns to collect textbooks. In the event of a large donation of books in Madrid (from 12 medium boxes), you must call 913 239 611 and the Foundation will look for them. Their contact details are:

Madrid Solidarity Bookstore

The Madrid Solidarity Bookstore collects any type of material except textbooks and encyclopedias, and they are delivered to libraries in low-income neighborhoods, as well as to associations of neighbors, residences for the elderly and hospitals. Therefore this is another of the best alternatives if you are considering where to take used books. The contact details are:

ReLibrea

ReLibrea is a free ad portal where used books of all kinds are sold, but especially it is focused on textbooks, both school and university. There is a search engine that allows you to locate the specific category or book and, once the buyer pays according to the method that has been agreed with the seller, the latter sends the book. The prices are so, so supportive, that it would seem that some ads are titled "used book gift".

The web address of this portal is: https://relibrea.com/.

Madrid Public Library Network

Donating books to public libraries in Madrid is also a good option, although it involves some bureaucratic procedures since you have to fill out a form, either online or in person at the city hall offices, and wait for them to respond. This protocol is due to the fact that you do not want to fill the spaces of the libraries with repeated books or that have little value, for which reason they do not accept textbooks or encyclopedias. The email of the Central Department of Public Libraries, Acquisitions Section is: [email protected].

University Libraries

Another alternative, depending on the profile of the texts to give away, is to donate books to a university library. Each university has its specific requirements, but in general they accept books that contribute to teaching. If, for example, among your books to donate there were great literary or art-related jewels, it is very likely that a Faculty of Humanities would be highly interested. Likewise, a legal procedure must be followed that begins with the description of the texts that are intended to be given away and the house of studies accepts or rejects the proposal.

In Spain there are 50 public universities and, if you are interested in consulting the requirements for donating books in Alicante, which stands out for the number of books received, or in the rest of the houses of higher education in the country, you can do so by entering their web pages to then communicate with the responsible department. The address where you will find all the information is:

http://www.estudiosyuniversidades.com/universidades/universidades-publicas-espana.html

Donate books in Mexico

Throughout its 32 states, in Mexico there are many places where you can donate books, while very original initiatives are observed. To illustrate this section, the most significant institutions have been selected, such as the Mexico City Public Library Network, as well as activities related to the donation of used books that especially deserve to be highlighted or supported.

Mexico City Public Library Network

The Mexico City Public Library Network is made up of the libraries of the 16 mayoralties, in addition to those managed by the local government, such as those for to prisons, and the Mobile Library that travels throughout the city developing cultural events to encourage the population towards reading.

Book donations are highly appreciated by the Library Network and the procedure is very simple, since you just have to go to one of the municipal libraries and fill out a form. The books must be in perfect condition and it is not allowed to donate encyclopedias or technical books that are more than three years old. The subjects that have preference are literature, novels in general, essays and poetry.

After evaluating the proposal, the library decides which books to accept. They must be transferred by the donor to the headquarters and sign the corresponding documents. For more information you can consult the website:

El Tomo Suelto Bookstore – Mexico City

If your question is where I can donate used books in Mexico City, there is no better answer than El Tomo Suelto, since this bookstore is one of the most recognized . They are dedicated to the sale of second-hand books and have more than 300,000 titles, so you can find almost any book, however rare and old it may be. They buy used texts of any kind and also accept donations. Its motto is: "where books come to transit until they find another home".

If the number of books to sell or donate is large, the El Tomo Suelto team travels to your home by appointment. In the first case, they request that you give an estimate of how much money you want to obtain, to use it as a basis for the subsequent appraisal. They currently have a virtual store and three physical locations in Mexico City:

Aeromoto – Mexico City

Aeromoto is a community library that was born from the initiative of a group of entrepreneurs, who began by dusting off their own books to put them at the service of the inhabitants of the Juárez neighborhood. They specialize in books on art and contemporary culture, and work with a loan system for a small monthly fee. Currently they already have 2,000 titles and they continue to campaign to encourage donations within their theme. The contact details are:

San Felipe Tlalmimilolpan Library – Toluca

San Felipe is a small town located in the Municipality of Toluca in the State of Mexico, just 70 kilometers west of Mexico City. It is estimated that approximately 14,000 inhabitants live in this town of which, according to statistics, only 21% have finished their secondary education studies.

An important detail is that this town does not have a library. On March 10 of this year, a story appeared in El Gráfico, reporting that a group of volunteers was requesting book donations. They accept all kinds of texts, regardless of the period, except religious ones, and they indicated that they could be contacted by phone 722-417 85 83.

So if you live in Mexico City and were thinking about what to do with old textbooks or where to donate books and encyclopedias, you can call them and take a ride to San Felipe to support this valuable initiative.

NGOs that collect books in Spain and Mexico

It is important to note that, although in Spain there are several foundations related to the donation of books, the same is not true of NGOs. The fundamental difference between one organization and another is in the scope of their actions, in the origin of their funds and in the way in which decisions are made.

The NGOs carry out actions of international projection, their resources come from the contributions of the partners and the decisions are based on assemblies. On the other hand, the foundations have more local spheres, are financed from some company or commercial activity and have a board of directors that does not report to any committee.

On the other hand, some NGOs are present in Mexico, but they are not truly Mexican, although there are many foundations. However, none of the NGOs or foundations are dedicated to collecting books as their main activity.

NGOs that collect books in Spain

The two NGOs that are in charge of donating books in Spain are InterLibros and AIDA. The first works mainly with schools and sends books to communities with little access to them, while the second operates in a different way and sells used books in Spain in order to raise funds and finance their projects.

InterLibros

InterLibros was founded in 2005 in Spain by Sylvie Baguet, who was born in Belgium but has lived in the country for many years. The idea of ​​creating the NGO was born as a result of a trip that Sylvie made to Honduras, where she verified that children and young people did not have access to books, which is why her education presented deficiencies.

Consequently, he decided to create InterLibros, which is in charge of collecting donated books and sending them especially to Central America. The way in which this NGO works is through the awareness of Spanish youth in schools, to whom the problems of Central American children are explained and they are asked to donate at least one book after each talk.

AIDA

This NGO was founded in Spain in 1999 by a group of entrepreneurs, with the objective of supporting third world countries with needs in terms of access to health and education. They work with communities in nations such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Haiti, among others, also focusing on the field of resource production.

They have several bookstores located in different cities in Spain, where they collect the donated books, which are then sold at very cheap prices. In this way they achieve a double objective, since on the one hand they contribute to the access to the culture of the Spaniards and on the other they raise an important part of the necessary funds to finance their social projects in the world.

NGO from Mexico

In Mexico there is no NGO that is expressly dedicated to collecting books in a systematic way, since the role is mainly assumed by the library networks that in this country are very strong. However, there is a fairly important non-governmental organization in Mexico that has occasionally collected books.

Manos Unidas

This is a Spanish NGO that has been present in Mexico since 1974. It is basically dedicated to working in rural areas and with indigenous communities, so that these groups are educated for the productive work as a way to eradicate poverty. Likewise, they cover the field of education, which is highly oriented towards values.

In Spain, this non-governmental organization dates back to the 1950s, when Catholic women carried out campaigns against world hunger, which were called “united hands”.

Within its educational objectives, on some occasions this NGO has collected books to be used as a means of support in the communities where they operate.

Maybe you didn't know that you can help a lot by donating books that you no longer use and that, apart from taking up space, fill up with dust and deteriorate over time. Don't let your books die on a shelf, give them life, put wings on them and get into the new wave of book donations and the purchase of used books.