Where To Donate Books In Chicago
Recycling often gets the spotlight, but it's last in the "reduce, reuse, recycle" motto for a reason. Reducing the amount of waste we produce, and reusing things to their fullest, are our first lines of defense in conserving natural resources.
For example, take books. Over 2.4 million printed books were sold in 2016. Add those to the millions of packed bookshelves in homes across the US, and we're talking about a massive amount of resources. Resources ripe for straight-up reuse.
Consider a used book's true value for a minute. Really! Because they're kind of the perfect reuse item. Whether donating or buying second-hand they hold the same appeal:
Books tell of a time but are timeless.
They're constructed for repeated use.
Their words offer equal power to the first reader and the last.
Ready to donate some books? Here's the inside scoop on three Chicago organizations putting used books to great use.
1. Books4Cause
Stop by Books4Cause's Logan Square/Avondale location and you won't notice any price tags. That's because all the books are FREE.
They call it a 'Free Library Pop-up', and the quality of books is outstanding. We found lots of classics, some translated in Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish!
Books4Cause also supports the building of libraries in Africa through book donations (118 created so far), and further recirculates hundreds of thousands of books. Books4Cause claims to find a home or recycles all books, sending zero to landfill.
Donate these:
All books in good condition, including text books.
DVDs
CDs
Vinyl/records
Collectible Trading Cards
How it works:
FREE PICKUP:
Free pickup is available if you are donating more than 500 books and are located within a 20-mile radius of Skokie. Books must be boxed. Fill out this form to arrange for pickup.
If you have less than 500 books, visit the drop off locations below.
DROP OFF:
2931 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, 60618 (map)
HOURS: 12p-5p Mon-Sun
DONATION RECEIPT: No
WEBSITE: www.books4cause.com
3415 Madison St., Skokie, 60076 (map)
HOURS: Drop-off is available 24/7
DONATION RECEIPT: No
WEBSITE: www.books4cause.com
2. Chicago Books to Women in Prison
Operating since 2002, this Chicago non-profit ships books to incarcerated women across the U.S. In 2018, they provided over 13,500 books to women in prison.
Chicago Books to Women in Prison can only accept soft-bound books. They prefer books published within the last decade. New or nearly new books are appreciated, as some prisons require them.
Donate these:
Large print fiction and non-fiction
Dictionaries - English, English/Spanish, Crossword puzzle dictionaries
Crafts (such as crochet, beading, card making and other paper crafts)
Painting, Drawing, Calligraphy
Recovery and Addiction Books
Mental Health, Depression, PTSD
A wide range of Legal Books
Blank Journals
They also have a regularly updated 'Special Requests' and 'Amazon Wishlist' for books that are rarely donated but have a high, sometimes urgent demand. Religion and law-themed books are popular.
Not these:
Hardbound books (though there are exceptions for sellable quality books)
English fiction (except in large print), because they receive a steady flow
Textbooks more than 5 years old
How it works:
DROP OFF: 4511 N. Hermitage Ave. (map)
HOURS: 2p-5p Saturdays and Sundays
DONATION RECEIPT: Upon Request
WEBSITE: www.chicagobwp.org
3. Open Books
Through the sales of donated books online and at their two brick-and-mortar locations, Open Books funds community literacy programs. Their roving literacy workshops have reached tens of thousands of readers in under-resourced neighborhoods throughout Chicagoland.
The book department also produces zero waste, finding a home for every book through resale, donation, or recycling as a last resort.
Donate these:
Sellable books in good condition
LPs, CDs, and DVDs (no VHS tapes)
Not these:
Encyclopedias
Dictionaries
Thesauruses
Sets of law books
Magazines/journals
Pre-college (K-12) textbooks
How it works:
DROP OFF: Donations of more than five boxes need to be dropped off at the Pilsen store.
1. West Loop
645 W Couch Pl. (map) - Dropbox at Desplaines between Randolph and Lake St., behind the West Loop store
2. Pilsen
905 W. 19th St. Chicago, IL 60608 (map) - Drop slot in front of the building.
3. River North
802 W. Superior Chicago, IL 60642 (map) - Dropbox at corner of Halsted + Superior
4. Hillside
5979 Butterfield Rd. Hillside, IL 60162 (map) - Dropbox
5. Northbrook
2727 Shermer Rd. Northbrook, IL 60062 (map) - Dropbox
DROP OFF HOURS: 24/7
DONATION RECEIPT: In-store and online
WEBSITE: open-books.org
What about books in poor condition?
Sometimes, books are beyond donating. If they're too waterlogged, faded, or torn apart to read, books can be upcycled into some pretty clever things, or they can be recycled.
In Chicago, paperback books can be recycled straight in the blue cart. For hardback books, the covers need to be removed before the pages can be recycled.
Wondering what else can be recycled in your Blue Cart? View the guide.
Sources:
Association of American Publishers
Updated April 5, 2024
