Donations
Where Can I Donate Books?
The Friends of the Library accepts donations at the loading dock at the Central Library ONLY, Monday-Saturday 9 am to 12 pm. Branches and bookstores do not accept donations.
Please follow the guidelines below and limit your donations to no more than 5 boxes per day.
What Can I Donate?
The Friends of the Library accepts donations of books, DVDs, CDs (audiobooks and music), and vinyl records (LPs) that are in new, good, and lightly used condition.
We accept fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books. Cookbooks, biographies, history, classic literature and more are welcomed.
Donations must be in SALEABLE condition — your donations are used to stock our stores, community outreach programs, online sales initiatives, and book sales. Please recycle or trash books that are not suitable for resale.
Please consider: Would you buy the book or disc you’re donating?
Materials are sorted by Friends of the Library volunteers for sale at the Whitney Book Corner, A Second Look bookstore, through online sales programs, and at book sales. Profits help support library collection development, programming, and staff development.
What Don’t You Accept?
We do not accept:
- Books that have water damage, smell musty, are dirty, moldy/mildewed, etc
- Books that are excessively worn (torn pages, torn covers, etc) or excessively highlighted/marked up
- Magazines
- Reader’s Digest Condensed Books
- Textbooks
- Encyclopedias
- Computer books older than three years
- Computer software or software manuals
- VHS or audio cassette tapes
Please consider: Would you buy the book or disc you’re donating?
Do You Buy Books?
No. The Friends accepts books for donation only; we do not buy or consign books.
How do I Donate Money or make a Memorial Gift?
To make a monetary donation in memory of, or in honor of, an individual, or a general donation toward library programming, please mail a check payable to Friends of SCPL:
Treasurer, Friends of the Library
99 Clinton St
Schenectady, NY 12305
Or, complete our online donation form and pay by credit card.
Please include:
- Name and address of donor
- Designation of donation, e.g., in memory of (name), in honor of (name), general programming
- If you would like an acknowledgement sent to the family, please provide contact information