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Book Donations

Our project depends on donated books to survive. We always need quality used books and as a 501(c)(3) your donation is tax deductible. We will gladly accept donations of new or used books from individuals, publishers, and booksellers.

Drop off Donated Books

Drop Off

Location:
Claremont Forum Bookshop
586 W. 1st St, Claremont, CA 91711

(We are on the first floor inside the Packing House)

Time:

We welcome small donations in the store at any time that the Forum is open. If you have a donation larger than a single box of books, we ask that you leave them outside our basement storage facility. Please call for details on where this is located and/or if you need assistance. 

If you need help:
We have dollies available and can assist you to unload your car. Please call (909) 626-3066 before you arrive and we can plan on helping you out.

Donation Receipt:

Please be sure to ask us for a receipt if you need one. Did you forget? Email us at info@claremontforum.org

Books We Need

All book donations need to be bagged or boxed. We cannot accept loose books. 

 

  • Fiction and nonfiction books in Spanish.

  • New or gently used paperback fiction, especially titles published within the last 10 years

  • LGTBQ+ affirming books, both fiction and non-fiction

  • African American, Native American fiction

  • Memoirs of current celebrities and important figures

  • Art books of any kind

  • Coffee table books

  • Science Fiction & Fantasy

  • Kids books

  • Vintage books

  • Books in Spanish

  • Trade skills: Auto mechanics, electrical, CDL licensing, carpentry, etc.

  • Coloring books

  • Crafts, including crocheting and knitting

  • Games and sports

  • Crossword puzzles, word search, sudoku

  • Language dictionaries and grammar books especially Spanish, ASL

  • Self-help

  • Sexual abuse, trauma, addiction

  • Manga and comics

  • Westerns

  • Native American or African American culture

  • Reference books (paperback almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, atlases)

We Cannot Accept

We cannot use damaged books (e.g., broken bindings, missing pages, soiled, musty or moldy, excessive writing in the text). Other books we do not need include:
  • Propaganda - religious and political books and pamphlets

  • Books advocating racist, violent, misogynistic, or homophobic ideology or hate speech

  • mass market paperback romance and mystery (ex: Harlequin Romances)

  • Clearly outdated materials (ex. computer books or science books that are no longer relevant -  "Someday, man will walk on the moon!" or " Getting Started with a Radio Shack TRS-80"

  • Encyclopedias

  • Magazines (except for National Geographic)

  • Books on cassette

  • VHS tapes

Home Pick-up

home

Can you pickup books from my home?

Our resources are limited for at home pickups. If your donation matches a few criteria we will be happy to connect you to one of our trusted volunteers and arrange to pick up your books.

HOME PICKUP CRITERIA

  • You live within a 15 mile radius of Claremont

  • Your donation is more than 100 books

  • Donated books need to be in boxes or bags

  • Your donation does not include encyclopedias, books in poor condition (stained, yellowed, moldy, torn), outdated reference books, books discarded by other libraries, audio cassettes and VHS tapes

  • If you live outside our service area, there is a $50 charge for fuel and staff expenses.

Complete this online request form (above). We will evaluate your donation and coordinate a time for pickup. Please know that it may take up to two weeks for us to arrange a pickup. Most of our pickups are completed by volunteers and their time is limited. We appreciate your patience.

Other Donation Options

The Prison Library Project is always grateful for book donations! We are honored by the generosity of our community, and we could not do our work without your support. Occasionally, our staff is trying to keep up with processing donations and may ask you to delay your donation for a week or two. If you have very large donations, older books, or donations that are primarily hardcover, consider donating to other organizations.

 

Here are some other places where you can donate your books locally. We recommend you call first before bringing  your books into any location.

Friends of the Claremont Library

208 Harvard Ave, Claremont, CA, 91711

(909) 621-4902

 

Friends of the Upland Library

460 N. Euclid Avenue, Upland, CA 91786

(909) 931-4100

 

Economy Shop

325 1st Street, Claremont, CA 91711

(909) 626-7334

 

ACTS Thrift Store 

232 East Foothill Blvd. Pomona, CA 91767

(909) 491-3199

 

Goodwill Southern California Boutique & Donation Center

1760 W. Foothill Blvd., Upland, CA 91786

(909) 204-4462

 

Upland Discovery Shop

1236 West Foothill Blvd., Upland, CA 91786

(909) 981-7466

 

510 Books & Media

Book & Media Pick-Up Service Available

748 E Bonita Ave, Suite 205, Pomona, CA, 

(626) 400-9294


Assistance League of the Foothill Communities Thrift Shop

8555 Archibald Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

(909) 484-7853

 

Anthesis Thrift Store

4669 Holt Blvd, Montclair, CA 91763

(909) 399-5601

 

Freecycle 

Freecycle.org

Give your friends and neighbors a chance to take your books.

 

Cal State San Bernardino

5500 University Pkwy, San Bernardino, Ca 92407

(909) 537-5090

 

**We recommend you call first before bringing  your books into any location.**

 

Have just a few books to donate? Check out the Little Free Libraries around town!  Littlefreelibrary.org

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