Throw-It Thursday - Requesting Donations

Ashley Borman, Technical Services Librarian at the Clintonville (WI) Public Library, is back with another weeding tips column. 

Have you ever played with the idea of creating a unique collection at your library? Maybe have power tools, or cake pans, or fishing gear available for check out? Having a “Library of Things” is becoming increasingly popular in public libraries. It’s a great way for people to be able to borrow something to do something they wouldn’t normally be able to do, or to test out something before investing in their own items. But how can you think about starting something if you don’t have the funding or the space? Ask the community for help.

Asking patrons and members of the community to donate their gently used items is a great way to start building a new collection. I have found the easiest way to do this is to talk to patrons. When they find out what you are doing and what you want, they are usually happy to spread the word to friends and family (and sometimes strangers!). Once I start telling people what I am looking for, and they spread it other people, items start to trickle in. Phones start ringing with questions (Yes, you can absolutely donate that! That sounds like exactly what I am looking for!). I will also post on Facebook that the library is accepting donations of gently used or new [items]. People will share the posts and again, people will start bringing things in.

I love when I ask for things and patrons start bringing stuff in. Sometimes, however, they bring in things that don’t quite work for what I have in mind. So I always like to have a disclaimer on my requests, the same as we have with book donations. Donations are accepted at any time, but it is up to the discretion of the librarians what we keep to use, and what goes to the Friends of the Library for their next book sale. Although, I change it to reflect whatever I am asking patrons to donate. There are always a few things that do not get used, but asking for help is such an easy way to get items when you don’t necessarily have the funds for them.

Throw It Thursday - Can I Donate This?

Ashley Borman, Technical Services Librarian at the Clintonville (WI) Public Library, is back with another weeding tips column. 

People will donate everything and anything, no matter what you tell them. You know what I’m talking about. A patron calls to ask if you accept book donations, and you tell them yes, but we don’t accept encyclopedias or old text books. 

So, the patron brings in a bunch of boxes and as you go through them, what do you find? A bunch of encyclopedias and outdated text books buried under a few other titles. Ugh! It can get frustrating, but it is also a way to get some great materials for the library for free!

Or you get the person who gets miffed when you tell them that all donated materials are assessed and may not be added to the collection, but given to the Friends for the next book sale. “But I’m giving you this item specifically so you can add it so people can read it!” That’s when you can pull out your policy on accepting donations (which hopefully you all have!) and show the patron that once the book is donated, it is no longer in their control. It is up to library staff to determine whether or not the book will be beneficial to the collection.

One of my favorite things to do is go through donations patrons bring into the library. I tend to find some good items to add to our current materials collection from donations. In our library, we accept donations of more than just books, music, and movies. We also accept games, puzzles, kits, toys, and crafting supplies. We go though everything we receive and decide if we want to keep it and use it for the library. Things we do not want go to the Friends of the Library for their book sale (books, media, games, and puzzles), get donated elsewhere (toys and crafting supplies we do not want for the library), or get recycled or thrown away (items that we do not want and/or are broken beyond repair that we cannot donate).

We have a white cart where library staff put donated items. I then go through them to see what we want to keep for possible use, before sending the rest downstairs in our dumbwaiter for the Friends of the Library to put in their book sale.

If you have a space to save things, you could also save some new/gently used donations of popular items you already have for future replacements. Every so often (when the shelves are full), I go through the items I’ve saved for future replacements and go check the condition of the items on our shelves. If the library copy is in poor condistion, I will replace it. If it is in good shape, I will either put the saved item back on the shelf (if I think the library item will need to be replaced within the coming year) or send it on to the Friends of the Library for their book sales.