Oh, my, how long has it been since I participated in Booking Through Thursday?
If you can’t tell, I’m attempting to give my blog a little more love this year. Let’s see how long that lasts. While I’m still in the resolution honeymoon period, though, I thought I’d rejoin some of the old memes I used to enjoy. This week’s question:
Do you ever weed out unwanted books from your library? And if so, what do you do with them?
I do indeed weed out books occasionally. Most often, what I do is put them up for grabs on PaperBackSwap. I suppose I could donate them to a used bookstore, but a) I’m not really sure where one is (I know, I’ve only lived here 2½ years, and I should have it figured out, right?), and b) I kind of like the fact that it’s sort of an even trade. With PaperBackSwap, I receive a credit when I send one of my books to someone, and I can use those credits to select a book I want.
The two major problems with PBS are that it’s not always easy to find books you want because books have to be posted by other members, and the waiting lists for popular books are looooong. Obviously, the first issue is a problem with any used bookstore as well. After all, any used bookstore is only going to carry books someone donated because they didn’t want them for some reason. On PBS, the pool is a little larger, so it seems like books can be somewhat easier to find than in a used bookstore. The second problem is just like the library waiting lists. Bestsellers and popular books or books that are in high demand for some reason are always hard to get. On the plus side, that means if you post one because you yourself don’t want it anymore, it’s snatched up right away, and you get a credit. On the minus side, there are books that I’ve had on my wishlist for years at PBS, and I’m not really closer to getting them.
I mostly select books I want at PBS if I’m not sure enough that I’ll like the book, so I am not sure I want to pay full price. I could get some of these books at my library, but not all of them. All in all, PBS is a pretty good deal.
Other books I don’t want in my own library, I donate to my classroom library. I still technically am keeping the book, but placing in that library means if a student really wants to keep it, that’s okay, and if it’s lost or never returned, that’s okay, too. Of course, I also buy books expressly for my classroom library as well.
So what do you do? Do you weed out books?
I super cherish PaperbackSwap. Even though it’s true that you can’t always get the exact book you want right at the moment you want it, I’ve gotten some wonderful and not-easy-to-find books from my wish list. All of Kage Baker, for one thing! And I got my beloved Joan Wyndham diaries, both volumes. And some bell hooks! And some other things!
Jenny @ Reading the End recently posted…Reading the End Bookcast, Ep.33: Fictional Workplaces, Mandel’s The Singer’s Gun and a Transportation Game
Oh, I love them, too! I have also had some rare finds and gotten lucky with some books I really wanted.
I’m with you, I’m hoping to give my blog a bit more love this year too 🙂
I have to do weeding of the shelves every once in a while or else I wouldn’t have a room to step into. I do a bit of donating to the library, selling to Half Price Books and trading with members of my book club.
iliana recently posted…On the Nightstand
I have been trying to get involved with a book club, but it’s been hard to find one. That’s a good idea, though, to share with book club folks. Our bookshelves are past full. We have stacks of books all over the place. I need to do some more weeding, but I just bought two bookshelves for my classroom, and I’ve been waiting to take some of them to school.