Donate Used Books from Your Home
Cleaning off your bookshelves? Perhaps your children have outgrown their books? Thank you for thinking of us! Book Harvest gladly accepts new and gently used children’s books for young readers ages 0-18. We especially love donations of board books, picture books, Spanish and bilingual books, and books that portray ALL children, honoring diverse backgrounds, languages, abilities, and perspectives, and including stories by and about people of color.
Please note that we cannot accept:
- Books for adults (cookbooks, gardening books, self-help books, novels, etc.)
- Religious books for any age
- Textbooks/atlas books/encyclopedias/dictionaries
- Activity books/workbooks/coloring books
- Library discards
- Books used in classroom settings/teaching materials
- Books that are outdated, yellowed, torn, molded, damaged, etc.
If you have new or gently used children’s books you’d like to donate, please drop them in the Book Harvest donation bin at 2501 University Drive at any time (24/7).
Or, you can donate books in Book Harvest bins at any of the following locations (please call ahead to ensure they are open and available to receive your donation).
Book Donation Locations
Book Harvest, 2501 University Drive, Durham: drop your books in our contactless donation bin anytime.
The following community partners are willing to collect books on our behalf. Please contact them to confirm drop-off hours and capacity.
Clifton and Mauney Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Chapel Hill
Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill
Happymess Art Studios, Durham
McIntyre’s Books, Pittsboro
The Regulator Bookshop, Durham
ActivEdge Fitness and Sports, Durham
Triangle Table Tennis, Morrisville
Monarch Movement Company, Hillsborough
Locopops, Durham
If your location is interested in serving as a book donation site, please contact Book Bank Manager Caitlyn Bergmann at caitlyn@bookharvest.org.
Want to mail us your books?
If you have books to donate, you can ship them very cost-effectively to us via US Postal Service media mail. Please pack your book boxes securely and send them to:
Book Harvest
2501 University Drive, Ste. 5
Durham, NC 27707
Please click here to let us know they're coming and download an in-kind donation receipt for your gift of books.
Have books that don't fit our criteria?
While we are only able to use donations of books suitable for children from birth through high school, there are many other organizations in Durham that can benefit from your books that are not a good fit for our programs. Please visit each organization’s website for more information about how to make a donation.
Durham Rescue Mission Thrift Stores
The Scrap Exchange/Scrap Thrift
Habitat for Humanity ReStore of Durham and Orange Counties
The Salvation Army of Durham Family Thrift Stores & Donation Center
GCF (Goodwill Community Foundation)
Thank you!
If you have new or gently used children’s books you’d like to donate, please drop them in the Book Harvest bins at any of the following locations.
You can also buy books from our Amazon wishlist or Durham’s Regulator Bookshop wishlist and have them shipped directly to our office!
Run a Book Drive
A book drive is a terrific service project for schools, scout troops, congregations, civic groups, neighborhoods, book clubs, and workplaces! We give you the tools to make it easy.
Hop on over to our Run a Book Drive page to learn more.
Buy New Books Online
It’s easy to purchase culturally inclusive books from our Mirror, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors list to donate directly to Book Harvest! Choose from local bookstores or even Amazon.
Go here to start shopping!