Why do libraries sell books?

[Syd A]

This is not really a literature question, more like a book business question. A few weeks ago I was shocked to learn that when I donate a book to my local public library (in the USA), the book is very unlikely to find its way to the library's shelves. Most donated books are sold to the public at book sales held once every few moths.

This is incomprehensible to me. Why do libraries do that? If the library already has a copy of a donated book, why not trade it to another library for another book that is not, for the mutual benefit of both libraries? Here in the Boston area, there are probably fifty academic and public libraries within a ten mile radius, yet each of these libraries offers tens of thousands of books for sale every year.

Can a librarian or someone familiar with library management explain this to me?

[Dark Muse]

I know a library that used to hold these sorts of sales, now they actually have a permanent bookstore where they sell donated books, it is one of my favorite places to buy books from because they are always so cheap and they do get a lot of really good stuff.

But to get back to your question, they reason why they do it is to make money for the library. Everyone who works at the bookstore are volunteers, and all proceeds made on the books they sell is used for the upkeep of the library.

[JBI]

You cannot just get any book and stick it on a shelf and start lending it...

[Syd A]

You cannot just get any book and stick it on a shelf and start lending it...

Is that an attempt at sarcasm, or are you serious?

[JBI]

Is that an attempt at sarcasm, or are you serious?

Serious. They cannot, each one needs to be registered and labelled, and wanted - the labor cost rarely would justify it, not to mention some countries have peculiar laws in that regard.

[billl]

On the whole, it might make the most sense to sell them, and then use the money to get what is wanted/needed. Syd_A might very well have donated some things that were needed somewhere nearby, but, like JBI is saying, there's a good chance that filtering through these donations wouldn't be the most efficient way to stock their (often limited) shelf space.

Then again, Dark Muse is testifying that the one she goes to has a lot of really good stuff... I'd have imagined that the donations would typically be heavily loaded with mass market paperback and genre hardcovers, with frequent dumpings of Romance paperbacks (I know I've seen that sort of selection predominate at library bookstores in the past)--but it might depend on the location, the quality of the staff receiving the stuff, and how efficient/inefficient checking the branch databases might be given the available technology at that library.

[Syd A]

Serious. They cannot, each one needs to be registered and labelled, and wanted - the labor cost rarely would justify it, not to mention some countries have peculiar laws in that regard.

The same volunteers who work at the book sales could volunteers to label, catalog, and shelve the books instead. With modern computers and networks, getting a book through this process shouldn't take more than ten minutes for an experienced volunteer. As for being needed, how would you know it's not needed until it's been on the shelf for a few years at least? And even if it's not needed, isn't it even more of a reason to keep it - because it's rare and hard to get?
I sometimes check out books that have been sitting on the shelf for thirty years, according to the due date stickers that are no longer used. It would cost the library more money to get them via interlibrary loan than to keep them, I assume.

Perhaps I just have an old fashioned idea of what a library should be, but I see nothing wrong with a library filled with antique books that are being checked out once a decade.

[prendrelemick]

If Libraries buy books and receive books, it stands to reason they have to sell books. Shelf space alone dictates that.

[wessexgirl]

In my experience here in the UK, we are not allowed to sell donations. I worked in a Public Library for years, and we would have sales of stock every so often, but only stock which had been bought by the Library i.e. the local government. That money was obviously ploughed back into the Library, (or was in theory, as it went back into the public coffers). If we had donations which we would add to the system if they were appropriate, that is what we wanted, and in decent condition, then we could not later sell that stock to the public in one of our sales. We would mark them as a gift, and if we didn't need them anymore, then we wouild send them on to somewhere like a charity shop. I'm sure it would be considered illegal in our system to sell gifts.

[Drkshadow03]

The same volunteers who work at the book sales could volunteers to label, catalog, and shelve the books instead. With modern computers and networks, getting a book through this process shouldn't take more than ten minutes for an experienced volunteer. As for being needed, how would you know it's not needed until it's been on the shelf for a few years at least? And even if it's not needed, isn't it even more of a reason to keep it - because it's rare and hard to get?
I sometimes check out books that have been sitting on the shelf for thirty years, according to the due date stickers that are no longer used. It would cost the library more money to get them via interlibrary loan than to keep them, I assume.

Perhaps I just have an old fashioned idea of what a library should be, but I see nothing wrong with a library filled with antique books that are being checked out once a decade.

Really it depends on your library and their policies. Some might have specific policies about gifts in which they can't sell them. Some might have a policy that said all donations are the property of the library to be used as the library deems fit. Some might have both in which you need to specify whether they can sell it or if they take it they must keep it, etc.

However, I think you said it yourself in your OP. Every library has these sales with thousands of books each year. Can you imagine if each library kept all these books every year? They'd lose shelf space very quickly.

I'm not a public librarian, but I am a school librarian and have worked in a university library. In a school library, we usually take donations, process them, and put them on the shelf (in which case, it's me going through the titles to decide what I want and need, cataloging the books, and eventually putting them on the shelves, which is time intensive).

Books can be rejected on grounds of:

1) inappropriateness for the age group

2) poor condition of book

3) already have multiple copies of the book

4) I don't think the book is any good personally.


As far as how most library shelving works. If a book is sitting on a shelf for 30 years at some point there is a chance a librarian is going to weed it, which means they're going to select it to be thrown out, donated (to a Goodwill or something), or they'll sell it at the library to raise funds. Shelving is limited. So if you want to bring in new books you have to get rid of old ones. Preferably weeded books should be ones that rarely circulate and ones with outdated information (all those old astronomy books that still have Pluto as a full-fledged planet, the 3rd edition of a World History book when they are up to the 18th edition that contains newer discoveries and updated thoughts, etc.)

A donated book can be in a wide variety of conditions and content. Many of the donations are James Patterson type of books in which the library already owns 5 copies and is might even be planning to weed 3 of their own copies, so why are they going to add 4 more of the same book that just got donated. Libraries want to bring in books in new condition since library books that do circulate can get worn out pretty quickly. So often based off need and condition it makes more sense to just sell the book.

Where I live there are two type of sales. There is the ongoing sale, which is a little rack that contains weeded books and probably donations to the friends of the library that the library doesn't want or already has (usually bestselling thrillers and romances, but occasionally I've found paperback editions of complete collection Part I and II of Sherlock Holmes Stories for example). But even "good" books or "classics" can end up there because most likely the library already owns that material or doesn't see a need for it or it's not in perfect condition. Hardcover is $1 and paperback $.50.

Then there is the HUGE friends of the library book + bake sale. Hardcover $1 and paperback $.50, with the exception of a few special books. These major sales fill a whole room with thousands of books. I've walked away paying $25 for about 40 books before. This also consists of donations and weeded library books. I suspect libraries make a few extra thousand to purchase new books from these sales.

Personally I love these book sales as you can buy used books cheaper than at any used bookstore. There is no used bookstore that I know of where I'd be able to essentially buy 40 books at an average of $.62 cents per a book. And the library gets extra money beyond their own budget to buy new books. Everyone wins.

In my little New England state, the libraries are setup as a consortium. This means I have access to the collection of every public library in the state. I can walk into any town's library here and take a book using my card, and pay my fines, etc. Or I can have any library send any book from their collection to any library in the state for me to pick-up.

Often the books at these sales weren't necessarily donated to the library directly, but to the friends of the library who are usually the ones sponsoring the sales to raise funds for the library to purchase books or equipment they actually want or need. Like I said it all depends on the specific library's policies.

But the reasons for selling or not accepting a donation are usually:

1) Limited shelf space

2) varying conditions of donations

3) lack of need or interest in the book.

[kiki1982]

Well, I tend to agree with JBI. There is bound to be some crap amongst donations, but that is not the only problem probably... I mean, think about all those copies of P&P which are on shelves everywhere. If everyone sends them off to the library, what do they have to do with them? Have the umpteenth copy on their shelf, in a potentially sad condition? Maybe they don't even get to lend them because no-one likes them? What then? Wait until the mice have eaten them? They may as well sell them and buy some others which are an addition to the library.

I didn't know you could actually donate books to the libary. I think that rarely happens in Belgium. I used to go to book sales of books which had been written off by the library and buy them for one euro each (yay! ). I suppose libraries don't really need book donations in my country, people just go to the charity shop/second hand book store with them if someone has died and they happened to have a large library. The library itself buys its own.

[mtpspur]

Many years ago before the internet made it easier I attempted to BUY a book form th base library by a favorite author of mine--Rafael Sabatini. The request puzzled them and I was refused even though the book had NOT been checked out in over a decade. I then took it out--went to my office anf photocopied it. I have never felt remorse. I would have gladly BOUGHT an in print copy and was being a little lazy about book searches and e-bay was a gleam in the eye of the inventor. Several years later I did obtain a real first edition (with dust jacket--a rarity for my Sabatinis. Just a story--just saying.

[Syd A]

I then took it out--went to my office anf photocopied it. I have never felt remorse.

Why would you feel remorse? You did nothing wrong.

On a related note on unread books, a few months ago I checked out Herbert Spencer's autobiography (two volumes) from an academic library. The books were printed in 1904. They had a rare printing defect - many of the pages were not separated after printing, so every two sheets were still one sheet, connected on the outer edge. Of course it's impossible to read a book like that, so I had to separate the sheets with a knife. The point is that, in 106 years that these books have been in print and on the shelf, not one person has ever read them! And Spencer is not an obscure figure; he is one of the intellectual giants of the nineteenth century. Go figure!

[oshima]

I work at a library, and I can vouch for most of the explanations given above. I also would add that no imaginable space in and out of time would have room enough to hold all the cheap paper back editions of James Patterson and Danielle Steel that comes in on an almost daily basis.

[arrytus]

On the whole, it might make the most sense to sell them, and then use the money to get what is wanted/needed.

This. At my local library the proceeds from the sales of donations last year was a quarter of a million dollars. This sum went to purchasing the latest releases as well as providing funding for smaller community libraries. Considering funds for libraries are way down on politicians lists for budget allocations it is necessary way to keep a library's selection contemporary. Although I do know if it is a new book, or one in demand, there is a greater chance it could get on the shelves.

but the question is, would you rather sell a rare book which perhaps will be read twice a decade for a hundred dollars which can purchase a half dozen new books for which there will be a waiting list to read for the next two years? Although at the end of that ten years the new books may be practically worthless and despite the few dollars in overdue fees it's not about the investment/equity but about the demand.