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Donating Materials to the Library

The Palo Alto Library benefits from the combination of a superb Friends of the Library group and an extremely generous public constituency. As the library receives large amounts of donated material, those materials that do not meet with the selection criteria for adding to the library collection are given to the Friends, who then offer them for sale to the public.

The monthly book sale at Cubberley Community Center takes place the second Saturday and Sunday of each month, from 10/11 a.m - 4 p.m. Donated materials, as well as items withdrawn from the library's collection, are available at very reasonable prices. These popular sales earn over $15,000 per month; net proceeds are donated to the Library by the Friends.

Because of the large volume of donations, please take your donations directly to the Friends' Main Book Sale Room at the Cubberley Community Center (See the Friends' website for further information on hours, locations, etc.)  This greatly helps the staff!! You will receive a form for tax purposes which provides for deductions of your charitable contributions to the Library.

Customers wishing to donate materials to the library collection, including authors wishing to donate their own works, please  read the Donations for the Collection Policy, excerpted from the Palo Alto City Library Collection Development Policy, March 2011.

( visit the library home page )

Last Updated December 10, 2014