Book Donation Programs: International Donations
Disclaimer
Please be aware that the American Library Association does not accept or distribute donations of books or any other materials. This Guide provides information on some of the groups and organizations that do handle book donations.
Book Donations Overseas
The "International Donation and Shipment of Books" information prepared by our International Relations Office offers guidelines on donating books internationally. Many organizations listed in that resource, or in this Guide, do not accept used books. If you do wish to donate used books, please note:
Books that are outdated, damaged, and worthless are going to be just as useless abroad. Make sure that the information is going to be useful to the schools or people receiving them and that the information is in a language that they can read and understand. Finally, the materials must be culturally appropriate for the audience that is going to receive them.
The Peace Corps publishes a pamphlet, "Sources of Donated Books for Schools and Libraries, listing guidelines for requesting donations and possible sources of donations.The guide explains Peace Corps policy on accepting donations, suggestions for sourcing locally, recommendations for screening donations for suitability against the library collection development policy, and possible hidden costs.
- International Donations - ALA's International Relations OfficeIf you are interested in donating books to countries overseas, there are several organizations that distribute books to other countries. Many of these organizations distribute books overseas at no cost to the donating person or library other than shipping costs to the U.S. facility.
- Domestic and International Book Donations - SUNY at BuffaloThis list prvides a place for institutions and programs that have little or no money to post their need for educational materials. We do not include private colleges (especially those that charge high tuition fees), foundations of corporate firms, individuals, or other well off entities. Our donors wish to send their materials to those most desperately in need.
- International Book ProjectA 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes literacy in underserved areas of the world, both domestic and abroad. We collect, sort, and ship donated books in response to requests from around the world.
- Sources of Donated Books for Schools and LibrariesWorldCat record for title, published by the Peace Corps, Information Collection and Exchange. A PDF version maybe found at files.peacecorps.gov/library/RE003.pdf