The Library happily accepts donations of gently-used books, DVDs, and other materials. Please help us by following these handy tips and book donation guidelines.

Materials that we can accept for donation:

• Books in excellent/like new condition
• Books with that new book smell (we love that!)
• Books with wide appeal, and bestsellers
• Items that fit our Material Selection Policy
• DVDs
• Puzzles (complete with all pieces)
• Items for our Library of Things

We cannot accept the following items:

• Books with an offensive odor, mildew, or rodent damage
• Books damaged by highlighter, pen, or pencil marks
• Old library books
• Books with torn covers and pages
• Textbooks, dictionaries, or encyclopedia sets
• VHS or cassette tapes
• Magazines or museum pamphlets
• Bibles
• Reader’s Digest condensed books

How do I donate my books and other items?

Due to space limitations, we ask you to phone or email the library to schedule a drop-off for donations totaling 2-5 boxes.

Up to 1 box may be brought to the Main Desk; staff is not available to assist by bringing donations into the building.

Please, DO NOT leave donations outside the Library or in the book drop unless prior arrangements have been made.

What happens to the items I donate?

Items that are not added to the collection are donated to the Friends of the Library and available in the Burnham Book Store at a deep discount! Proceeds help support library programs and digital services.

Items become the property of the Library and may be given to other libraries and non-profit agencies, sold, traded, or discarded. We cannot accept items given with conditions of any kind.

Need more information?

Call us at 860-354-6937 or email us staff@burnhamlibrary.org

If we are unable to accept your items, consider donating to Goodwill or Savers, or repurposing items into crafts. Paperback books can be recycled, visit https://hrra.org/information-bridgewater/ for guidelines.