Topic: Container full of textbooks - what to do with them?

[BomberMann650]

So my neigbhor bought every pallet from a school district auction.
He's already profited off of a lot of the more popular items.
But he's been left with a proverbial truck load of school books!

So the question is what to do with them.

He had the idea to deliver them to schools in need.  But neither he or I have the connections to make that happen.

I perused the selection with him.  There is a lot of knowledge boxed up in there.  One case was full of mint conditioned biology class books copyright dated 2006.  He's found a few of the controversial fiction titles (ala Huckleberry Finn).  And a collection of history books that recount Mao's Communist era China.  There were some class work books too.  And I'm sure there is something for every subject hidden in there.

We don't have a full manifest of the library...yet.

But we both agree that education is important.  And some of that starts with bolstering public schools.  I can imagine that these text books would be a welcome benefit to underserved communities somewhere in America.

If anyone here knows of an organization that is gifting books to schools, or a school that could use some updated texts.  Has an idea, or is willing to load a sidecar and make a delivery.  Please chime in.

[754]

We ha group sends bicycles to Africa.
 Some similar group to that  might be interested..

[CycleRanger]

http://www.bookstoprisoners.net/

http://libguides.ala.org/book-donations

And of course....
https://www.booksforafrica.org/

[BomberMann650]

Africa certainly needs some solid education.

I called Half Price Books - the store clerk told me they do dissemenate textbooks to schools and a manager will call me tomorrow.

[Stev-o]

I called Half Price Books...

That was going to be my suggestion...

[CycleRanger]

I called Half Price Books...

That was going to be my suggestion...

Except Half Price wants nothing to do with old textbooks.  Ever looked in their dumpster?

[chewbacca5000]

We ha group sends bicycles to Africa.
 Some similar group to that  might be interested..

These guys open up schools in Africa, maybe you can include them with the bikes.

https://pencilsofpromise.org/

[chewbacca5000]

I called Half Price Books...

That was going to be my suggestion...

Except Half Price wants nothing to do with old textbooks.  Ever looked in their dumpster?

They just toss them?  How sad.

[BomberMann650]

I called Half Price Books...

That was going to be my suggestion...

Except Half Price wants nothing to do with old textbooks.  Ever looked in their dumpster?

They just toss them?  How sad.

I certainly will have a number of questions for half price books. 

I'd rather deliver the books to a parent home-schooling their kid than see them sent to the dump.

Africa is a great idea.  But my neigbhor is more the type to put "america first".  If you get what I mean.

[jgger]

What about under served Indian reservations.........you know the ones that don't have a casino.

[CycleRanger]

I called Half Price Books...

That was going to be my suggestion...

Except Half Price wants nothing to do with old textbooks.  Ever looked in their dumpster?

They just toss them?  How sad.

I certainly will have a number of questions for half price books. 

I'd rather deliver the books to a parent home-schooling their kid than see them sent to the dump.

Africa is a great idea.  But my neighbor is more the type to put "america first".  If you get what I mean.

So he's probably not too interested in educating prisoners either...

Yeah, Half Price throws out an amazing amount of books.
I was a bit shocked one day when i got a look at their dumpster.
That stack of 15 or 20 books they give you $3.00 for, they may just pitch half of them.
They can't afford to sit on the inventory.
And to be fair how many copies of old Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy novels do they need to stock?

And with old, out-of-date text books no one will buy those.
Current college textbooks are the only kind they can sell.

[BomberMann650]

I called Half Price Books...

That was going to be my suggestion...

Except Half Price wants nothing to do with old textbooks.  Ever looked in their dumpster?

They just toss them?  How sad.

I certainly will have a number of questions for half price books. 

I'd rather deliver the books to a parent home-schooling their kid than see them sent to the dump.

Africa is a great idea.  But my neighbor is more the type to put "america first".  If you get what I mean.

So he's probably not too interested in educating prisoners either...

Yeah, Half Price throws out an amazing amount of books.
I was a bit shocked one day when i got a look at their dumpster.
That stack of 15 or 20 books they give you $3.00 for, they may just pitch half of them.
They can't afford to sit on the inventory.
And to be fair how many copies of old Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy novels do they need to stock?

And with old, out-of-date text books no one will buy those.
Current college textbooks are the only kind they can sell.

Oh gawd college textbook publishers are the devil incarnate.
Same production costs as any other book.  But they gouge the price each year with annual edits of long running titles.  Same material throughout, just alter the chapter order.
They are so awful, even college teachers hate them.

The container is high school literature.  So it should be the kind of information that holds validity regardless of the era.

Hell there might be history books with enough up-to-date info to be useful to someone.

Unless the new secretary of education has decided to completely change the basics of science and math   

[J-Rod10]

If I had a container full of books, I'd have a DJ, kegs, and one hell of a bonfire.

[BomberMann650]

If I had a container full of books, I'd have a DJ, kegs, and one hell of a bonfire.

This is why we won't be friends 😑

[MoMo]

I donated a crap load of books to the local Christian School, also to the Mennonite Central Committee.  We home-schooled (that is until my wife passed) so I also passed books on to homeschoolers....Larry

[J-Rod10]

If I had a container full of books, I'd have a DJ, kegs, and one hell of a bonfire.

This is why we won't be friends 😑

Vast majority of them will hit the dumpster any how. No good they'll do in a landfill.

[BomberMann650]

If I had a container full of books, I'd have a DJ, kegs, and one hell of a bonfire.

This is why we won't be friends 😑

Vast majority of them will hit the dumpster any how. No good they'll do in a landfill.

That's what we're trying to avoid here.  That and bonfires.

I think it's safe to say that a shop needs good tools to do good work.  And a hand-me-down tool is sometimes exactly what a shop needs. 

[demon78]

Yeah BM650 maybe point out to your buddy that if they go to Africa they might make one or two to remember with sympathy America's generosity of spirit rather than others with AK 47's.
Bill the demon.

[BomberMann650]

Yeah BM650 maybe point out to your buddy that if they go to Africa they might make one or two to remember with sympathy America's generosity of spirit rather than others with AK 47's.
Bill the demon.

No disagreement that Africa needs a western education.  They need it pronto.

The issue about some levels of education however.  Is it takes some foundational knowledge for it to do any good.  The risk being; context of the information can get lost.
Several of these books (even the science and technology courses) may not be useful or relevant to those surviving in Africa.  The disparity in available tech between the two countries would serve as little more than science-fiction to some I'm afraid.

I wouldn't want to send out books to africa willy-nilly.  There would have to be a viable strategy.

[Geeto67]

bomberman,

Educational literature is always going to be tricky. It's hard to "donate" to public schools in underserved communities because local laws limit the kind of material they can accept, and outdated materials are enemy #1 on that list. Also many schools publish book lists they need donated, and if your books aren't on that list - they ain't taking it.

To that end I am going to echo what someone else said above about trying to work with local Native American or First Nation communities to accept the books as they are often not bound by the same restrictions.

try reaching out to this organization:
https://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/
They service the Oglala Sioux tribes in SD but work with others nationwide, maybe they can point you in the right direction.

[flybox1]

Local prison library?
Goodwill?
Salvation army?
Wounded Warrior Project?

[BomberMann650]

These are all excellent ideas everyone thank you!

The manager from half price books called me just a moment ago.  He had some connections to share.  People who are networked locally around south puget sound.

Including a teacher at a local "trouble" school.  What he told me about the situation there was pretty dire.  Heartbreaking to know that even in my stomping grounds, there are schools struggling to get by.  Despite the apparent "prosperity" of the i5 corridor.

It would seem there is more money allocated to building mini-malls and consumer outlets. Than there is for developing the mind of the next generation.

An upside down economic strategy if there ever was.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Ignorance is strength.

[Gene]

I hope you find a place for them.