What to do with old books

This is like finding your beloved copies a new home. Also, since you know who's getting the book, you know it will be loved and appreciated. Think carefully and give the books to a family member or a friend who will appreciate and cherish them as much as you did. Give the books you loved as a child to the younger members of your family or your friends' children.

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If you don't know young ones who will appreciate books, donate them to a library or an orphanage. Make sure to sift out inappropriate books for kids (we know you don't want to hang on to your copy of 50 Shades of Grey but this is not the place to get rid of it) and put in some reference books, old dictionaries or encyclopedias instead. They take up a lot of space but will open up a new world of knowledge for those kids.

Many classic childrens books were about orphans or mistreated children and hence donating books to an orphanage might help these poor souls find a companion and give them hope for the future.
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Local libraries and college libraries would be grateful for your donation. Only true readers and the ones who need to research would bother to use them and your contribution will be appreciated.
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If you can't find an orphanage or college you deem worthy, or that's too much effort, simply find an organisation that distributes books to where they're needed. There are many organisations that do this wonderful service and finding the closest one is just a Google search away. Depending on where you live, the books might go to a school, a community center, a refugee camp; however, there's no doubt that where they will go, they will be appreciated.
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If you only have a few books and feel they're not worth contributing, you can surprise gift them to a stranger. Just leave the book in a place where a stranger can find it, like a park or bus or train and make sure it's labelled. DO NOT WRAP it and leave it on public transport for it might be perceived as something of a destructive capacity. Simply add a label indicating it's a gift from a book fairy and no doubt it'll soon have a grateful owner.
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If you want to clear some shelf space but ensure you still have a steady supply of reading material, find out about books exchange groups in your locality or workplace. Joining one of them is a good way of making friends and always having good recommendations and books come your way. If there isn't one you can start one.
Photo: Pixabay