International Book Project accepts donated books Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm.
- For 3 or fewer medium sized boxes, you are welcome to stop by anytime between 10am and 4pm.
- For 3 or more boxes, please call for an appointment 859-254-6771.
The guidelines below detail the types of donated books we can and cannot use.
Condition
All donated books must be in excellent condition. Please bear in mind that the books we ship are going to communities that will need many years of service from the books we donate. Please do not donate books that have:
- Cracked or broken bindings
- Water damage
- Mold, mildew, or a strong musty odor
- Torn or missing pages
- Yellowed pages
- Excessive underlining, highlighting, or writing
- Evidence of pests (cobwebs, insect shells, droppings)
Types of books we ACCEPT:
- Children’s books (picture books, chapter books, young adult) MOST NEEDED K – 8th
- Textbooks for all grades
- Medical textbooks (including academic journals) published after 2000
- Vocational books (plumbing, carpentry, etc.)
- Popular fiction and nonfiction books for adults
- Reference books (dictionaries and thesauri)
- Books in Spanish
Due to the nature of our work, we can NOT accept:
- Reference books (atlases, dictionaries, thesauri) published before 2010
- Encyclopedias of any kind
- Religious/evangelical or political books
- Reader’s Digest condensed books
- Magazines of any kind
- Diaries or journals (books that are meant to be written in)
- Self-help books (How to Lose 100 Pounds, Get Rich in the Stock Market)
- Cookbooks published prior to 2015
- Gardening books
- Travel books published prior to 2020
- CDs, DVDs, or books on tape
International Book Project curates book shipments based on partners’ specific requests and the above guidelines are specific to those requests. If you have questions about a potential donation, please feel free to contact us at 859-254-6771.
