BOOK SALE NEWS
Spring has arrived!! And with it has come some important changes to how the Friends accept donations of books and puzzles. The new procedures for donations of books and puzzles to the library are as follows:
Effective June 1, 2026, donations will be accepted only during the following times:
Mondays: 10:00-11:00 am
Wednesdays: 2:00-3:00 pm
Fridays: 9:00-10:00 am
Donations will be received by a volunteer at the Friends’ Room door located by the left side of the parking lot. Please do not leave any donations outside the door at any other time.
A maximum of eight bags or boxes of donations in very good condition only will be accepted at one time. As a reminder, we do not accept CD’s, sheet music, reference or school textbooks or magazines. Books in poor condition are accepted at the Essex landfill recycling center and we ask patrons to take them directly there.
Our goal is to continue to provide the highest quality of books and puzzles for our book sales, as well as to respect the time of our volunteers, as we raise funds to support the services and programs of the Essex Library.
For the months of June and July we will be selling History, Biography and Maritime titles for our focused sale.
Thank you for your continued support of The Friends of the Essex Library.
FAQs
Donations
We cannot accept:
- Books with mold or water damage
- Magazines (including National Geographic)
- Text books over 2 years old or marked up items
- Technology books/manuals over 1 year old
- Encyclopedias
- Movies, music, and audiobooks
- Books on business or health
When and where do I bring my donations to the library?
Effective June 1, 2026, a maximum of eight bags/boxes of book donations donations will be accepted only during the following times:
Mondays: 10:00-11:00 am
Wednesdays: 2:00-3:00 pm
Fridays: 9:00-10:00 am
Donations will be received by a volunteer at the Friends’ Room door located by the left side of the parking lot. Please do not leave any donations outside the door at any other time.
What happens to donations?
Donated items are screened for use by the library. If they do not go on the library shelves, they are sorted, priced, and put into categories for our book sales. We do not have a lot of sorting room so they go into category boxes in the order in which they arrive. Items that don’t sell during our sales continue their journey and are saved for subsequent focused sales or put on the Freebie cart near the library entrance.
Can I get a tax deduction?
The library will be happy to give you a form that thanks you for your donations but does not put a monetary value on them. Ask for the form when you bring in your donation items.
More questions about donations?
Other questions about donations – contact Peggy Tuttle at peggytuttle@gmail.com or Melissa Jacobsen at mbmj59@aol.com
What categories do you use for the BOOK SALES?
ART
BIOGRAPHIES
CHILDREN / YOUNG ADULT – including Board Books
COFFEE TABLE
COOKBOOKS
DIY – Crafts, Woodworking, Etc.
FICTION
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
GARDENING
HISTORY
HUMOR
LITERATURE / DRAMA – Short Stories, Essays, Plays
MARITIME
MISCELLANEOUS – Topics that do not fit elsewhere
MYSTERY
NATURE
PETS
POETRY
POLITICS
PUZZLES & GAMES
RELIGION
SCIENCE
SELF-HELP – Yoga, Philosophy, Psychology, Personal Growth
SMALL PAPERBACKS
SPORTS
TRAVEL
