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Commission weighs options for disposing discarded library books amid space, procurement limits
Summary
The commission discussed options to clear about 60 boxes of withdrawn or donated but-unused books, including town surplus listings, vendor buyouts, Friends sales, or charitable donation; finance and procurement staff advised options and constraints.
Library staff told the commission they have about 60 banker boxes of withdrawn or donated books taking up archival and office space and outlined options for disposing of them within town procurement rules.
"We have probably 60 boxes and bankers boxes of books... The priority is to get them out of that space," Library Director Laura Christians said, summarizing staff concern about storage and fire-code exposure from boxed collections.
Christians described three disposal options the town's procurement and finance staff suggested: 1) use the municipal surplus process (which requires listing items individually or in box-lots but may not attract buyers); 2) have the Friends of the Library (a nonprofit) accept boxes for their own sales; or 3) use private vendors (for example, vendors such as Better World Books) that will pick up donations, sell them and remit a share to the library. Christians said the finance office recommended exploring whether the Friends would accept the material and that vendors exist who will handle pickup and sale without a charge to the library.
Commissioners discussed the trade-offs: conserving staff time versus maximizing donation or sale proceeds, whether to hold a one-time free book giveaway at a public event, and limits on storage and volunteer capacity for sorting and moving material. One commissioner noted that some university-press or out-of-print titles sometimes have appreciable resale value when listed online.
No procurement decision was made; commissioners agreed to carry the item forward for possible follow-up with the Friends, the town procurement officer and finance staff. Christians said staff will provide vendor information and that the library will explore a drop-off or donation option that prioritizes clearing the mechanical room space quickly.
The director said the library will continue to be selective about accepting donations to limit future accumulation.
