Library changes donation guidelines

The book cart that stood in the parking garage at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library is gone. A drop box has also been removed from the lower level hallway. Until recently, patrons used these receptacles to leave books, DVDs, CDs and other items they were donating to the library. Tech services manager Holly Brandi said changes were recently made to the library's donation guidelines, reverting back to some pre-pandemic practices. "I think during the pandemic, since we were quarantining returns and we weren't touching items as soon as they were brought in, we started a practice of accepting our donations," she said. That included leaving items on the cart and in the drop box. "That way we could quarantine those items before we reviewed them," she explained. "But since then, I think that there's just the convenience of the drop off and there's nobody really there to monitor it." Paired with changes at donation sites around town and the high volume of items the library receives, the staff decided that it was time to revise the rules, she said. Brandi also chairs the collection development committee, a group of people at the library who select the materials. She said part of their job is to evaluate the donations they receive and decide what to do with them. "We get so many donations. And honestly we get so many wonderful donations, too," she said. Just this week they received a cartful of a love-inspired large print books that are popular with patrons. The monthly paperbacks are from this summer, she said. "We do purchase them, but I think some of these showed up, I had September ones, they showed up even before our vendor ordered ones showed up," she said. Brandi said she will add these to the library's collection as duplicates and send some to the Arlington branch library and the bookmobile. The collection development policy includes a section on donations that says items are received with the understanding that they become the sole property of the library. If the library can't use them, items may be sold by the Friends of the Library in the Book Cellar. Those proceeds also benefit the library, she said. And if the Book Cellar can't use them, the library will try to find other ways to put them to good use. Donations are accepted at the discretion of the library and should now be dropped off at the circulation desk. If it's a large number of items, Brandi said they should call the library ahead of time and schedule a drop-off time. Someone can then be available with a cart to help unload their vehicle. The committee and the Friends group discussed what will be and won't be accepted, she said. "We really can't accept materials that are damaged, they're wet, they're moldy, they're stained," she said. "Those are things we just can't use." Items with damaged bindings, missing pages or tears will not be taken either, said Brandi. "We letting people know there's just no place for those unfortunately. They end up generally being disposed of if they're in that condition," she said. Additionally, donations of textbooks that are older than 5 years, encyclopedia sets, VHS tapes, cassette tapes and calendars can't be accepted. The library will take the following items that are in good physical condition including books, DVDs and Blu-rays, CDs, Books on CD, vinyl records and vintage books which are sold in the Book Cellar, puzzles and board games, Bibles, hymnals, coloring books, workbooks and notebooks/journals without markings, Ohio yearbooks, foreign language materials and Northwest Ohio history materials, some of which can be utilized by the library and others that will be sold in the Book Cellar. Along with the guidelines, there is a form available for charitable donations. These can be found on the library's website under the "About Us" tab, under "Policies" and then the "Donation Guidelines and Form" webpage. Magazines can continue to be left on the exchange rack in the atrium, said Brandi. If the library doesn't accept items, donors might consider giving them to the Little Free Libraries, Salvation Army Thrift Store and Donation Center, Goodwill and Hancock County recycling donation sites. Brandi said they're also working with a company called Thrift Books on other items that can't be used but are still in good condition. When items are dropped off at the circulation desk, staff will take them into the basement to a staff area. The items are placed on a large table where selectors can pick up things they may want or need for their departments. Any that aren't taken for the library's collection go to the Friends who decide whether to sell it in the Book Cellar or pass it along. "But they do sales and special events so they do take a lot of materials just from that donation table," Brandi said. She noted that staff might also use donations for outreach events. Free books were available at the library's booth during the Hancock County Fair, she said. "And I know that we've created some outreach collections at organizations we work with around town. I think there have even been times where teen programming has used them for book bingo for our patrons, so they play bingo and they win books," she said. "So as often as we can, we try to find good uses for these really, really nice donations that we receive."