Books & Materials

The Library accepts gently used books and materials in good condition.

Most items we receive are sold in book sales or sent to a third-party book distributor in support of CLP services. In rare cases, CLP Collections Services staff will choose to add donated items to the collection.

To be sure we can accept your donated items, please make sure they do not have the following damage:

• Loose, frayed or broken bindings
• Yellow and/or brittle pages
• Soiled covers and pages
• Mold or mildew
• Evidence of insects or rodents, on the items themselves or any boxes they may have been in
• Strong odor
• Water damage
• Missing pages and illustrations
• Heavily marked pages
• Inaccurate or out-of-date information

Some of these conditions pose a risk to our collections, and donations that show evidence of them will not be accepted as a result.

To arrange for a donation drop-off, please see the following guidelines:

• Donations of 10 or fewer items can be accepted at any location during all open hours.
• For donations of one to three boxes, please contact your local Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh location to find out when and where you can drop off books and other materials.
• For donations of four to 10 boxes, please submit a “Contact Us” form, indicate “Donations of Books and Materials” as your reason for contacting us and tell us a little bit about your donation in the comment box. A CLP staff member will be in touch to discuss your donation further.
• We are unable to accept donations of more than 10 boxes at a time.

For the health and safety of you and our staff, boxes should be no larger than 18” x 16” x 12” and weigh no more than 50 pounds.

Thank you for supporting your Library!