Gadsden County Public Library

Donations? Yes, please!

The question is often asked (sometimes daily): "Do you take donations?"
The answer is a resounding "YES, PLEASE!"

Donations are one way we find out about your interests. Sometimes we find out about authors or books on certain subjects that we may have missed when looking over 'books to purchase' for our collection. And if YOU like them, chances are that many others in the community will have an interest in them as well.

Donations are also a way we use to replace worn out copies on the shelves or lost or very overdue books . Books wear out, just like anything else that gets used a lot, and this way, with YOUR help, we can replace these well-loved copies with newer copies, and extend the shelf life of the book. When a book goes missing, we have to put that title on a list to buy in the future, if it is still in print. Your donation helps us extend our book buying budget just a bit further.

Donations help fill in gaps in our series or author selections of which we may not have noticed, or put on our 'wish list' for future purchases:

• Recently, a kind person donated the first twenty-one books in the "Cat Who...." series by Lillian Jackson Braun for the Chattahoochee branch.
• Another young reader donated her complete collection of the Thoroughbred and Saddle Club book series for the Havana Branch.

All of these sets were mint condition paperbacks and will see use for many years to come.

• Another patron donated a grand set of about twenty Stephen King HARDCOVER books. These are extremely difficult to come by, and went immediately into our collection, distributed among all three branches.

Another question asked is "Do you prefer hardback or paperback books?"
The answer is that we use both in our collections. Due to space limitations and quality, we have fewer paperbacks in our libraries than their hardcover counterparts, but both have a place.

We like to see good condition hardcovers for both new and replacement copies mainly because the sturdier construction helps them last longer with repeated use than paperbacks.

Finally, we are asked "Can I choose which branch gets my donations?"
Yes, however, if a branch already has a copy of a book in good condition, we do reserve the right to re-direct the book where it is needed the most.

An alternative is that if you wish to give a "Memorial Copy" of a book to a branch, we will simply re-direct the current copy to give your gift a prominent place at that branch. (For more information about "Memorial Copies" please call Ricki at the main library.)

We also accept donations of VHS and DVD videos, and audio books on both cassette and CD (in playable condition, of course.)

So, thank you for all your book donations to the Gadsden County Public Library System. We really do appreciate them and highly value your contribution.

posted by GCPLStaff @ 10:20 AM