Donate Materials

What can I donate?

We accept the following new or gently used items in good condition:

• Books
• CDs - music and audio books
• DVDs
• Game console video games (e.g. Wii, Xbox, PS4, Nintendo)
• Jigsaw puzzles (with all their pieces)
• Board games (with all their pieces)
• Magazines (outdated magazines are put in the free magazine bin in the entryway)

What is not accepted as a donation?

We cannot accept the following items:

• Dirty or damaged items (e.g. no water-damaged, moldy or smelly, ripped pages or bindings, writing or highlighting throughout)
• Certain outdated reference material more than 10 years old specifically encyclopedias, almanacs, and travel books. For questions regarding other types of reference material, please contact us.
•  Household goods, clothing, electronics

Where do I bring donations?

• Bookstore during open hours
• Indoor donation bin - Wooden podium donation bin next to the Bookstore entrance
• Outdoor donation bins - Plastic totes near the library garage door on 1st Ave SE

What happens to my donations?

The Friends volunteers work to provide the best value to the library community through your new or gently used donations. Together we generate more than $250,000 in annual value to the Rochester Public Library.

• Items in excellent condition or in high demand are first considered for addition to the library's collection.
• Depending on an item’s condition and value, it may be offered for sale online, in the bookstore, or at sales, with profits given to the library and/or their literacy initiatives.
• Extra books are distributed to other community organizations or little libraries.
• Finally, as a last resort, if an item is damaged or unusable, it will be discarded.

Thank you so much for supporting our library. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.

See the Donations Policy for more information.