Just like we’ve done to Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, we’ll now take a look at Boston and its places where you can donate your used books.
In today’s list, you’ll find local libraries and bookstores as well as charitable organizations that support the community and individuals in need. They accept donations of various items, including books, and will be glad to find your used books a new home.
Boston offers plenty of book donation alternatives. From the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation, which welcomes various books, to resale shops like the Fox & Robbin Shop, which accepts board, picture, and chapter books as well as YA books, you can choose the organization that will accept your donation. You can bring your kids’ books in English, Spanish, and other languages to Room to Grow, and your most recent reference books or textbooks will be welcome at More Than Words.
In this post, you’ll find a list of these and other organizations with their addresses and websites. Since donation terms or operating hours may change, we always recommend checking with each organization in advance before visiting. We hope this list helps you find the right place to donate your books—and makes giving back a little easier.
- Local Places to Donate Books in Boston
- Where to Donate Textbooks in Boston?
- Where to Donate Kids’ Books in Boston?
- FAQs
- Sell Your Books in Boston via BookScouter
Local Places to Donate Books in Boston
City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library
📌 Address: 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
🌐 Website: City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library
The Friends support the Boston Public Library through fundraising and book sales.
They accept books and other things (e.g., DVDs and CDs).
They do not accept outdated encyclopedias and computer books. You can drop your donation at the Central Library’s Circulation Desk or during their book sales.
For larger donations, we recommend contacting them via email (please use “Book Donation” in the subject line).
Prison Book Program
📌 Address: 1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100, Quincy, MA 02169
🌐 Website: Prison Book Program
The Prison Book Program provides free books to incarcerated individuals across the US.
They accept new and used books in good condition, along with blank notebooks and journals, calendars for the current year, and advance reading and review copies.
They do not accept books in acceptable, fair, or worse condition, books with liquid damage or broken spines, brittle books with flaking pages, spiral or comb-bound books, magazines, true crime books, or children’s books. They can consider hardcovers or 10+ copies of any one book if those are in high-demand categories.
We recommend checking their directions page for parking tips and the exact drop-off location.
Bay State Book Company
📌 Address: Various donation bin locations across Boston
🌐 Website: Bay State Book Company
“We find new homes for old books.” Bay State Book Company places donation bins throughout the Boston area to collect books for redistribution and recycling, with the goal of keeping them out of landfills. They have multiple bin locations all over New England, and are eager to set up a bin at another “library, organization, or anywhere in town.”
They accept all types of books and offer home pickups for large donations (5,000 books or more). They seem to be accepting pretty much everything; however, they will probably only appreciate those that are in good condition.
Goodwill (Boston)
📌 Address: Various locations in Massachusetts, also 1010 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02119
🌐 Website: Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries
“When you donate to Goodwill, you help people achieve independence and dignity through work.” Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries branch also accepts books (among other things). You can check out their donation centers and find the one closest to you.
Since they do not specify what sort of books they do not accept, we recommend contacting them directly by emailing or calling 617-541-1259.
Lucy Parsons Center
📌 Address: 358A Centre St, Boston, Massachusetts 02130
🌐 Website: Lucy Parsons Center
The Lucy Parsons Center is a volunteer-run “radical bookstore and community space” that offers literature on social justice, anarchism, and activism. They have “new and used books and more than 200 magazines, newspapers, and journals, covering every wing of the progressive movement.”
The center accepts financial donations, and for direct book donations, we recommend checking their Get Involved page. They also support the Prison Book Program by collecting books for incarcerated individuals.
The Salvation Army (Boston)
📌 Address: More than 80 drop-off locations in Massachusetts
🌐 Website: The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army always accepts donations. In Boston, you can drop your books in any location that’s close to you. You can bring gently used books, both paperbacks and hardbacks.
They do not accept books in poor condition or outdated textbooks.
Where to Donate Textbooks in Boston?
Big Brother Big Sister Foundation
📌 Address: Pickup services throughout Boston
🌐 Website: BBBS Foundation
The Big Brother Big Sister Foundation “turns gently used goods into treasure.” They use donations to fund mentoring programs and help support more than 20,000 children in Massachusetts. They offer free pickup services, which can be scheduled online or by phone.
They accept all books and textbooks, but it does not accept magazines and catalogs. More information can be found on the Donation Centers of New England page, which they refer to.
More Than Words
📌 Address: 242 East Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02118
🌐 Website: More Than Words
More Than Words is a nonprofit organization that supports youth in the foster care system. They also provide job training in a bookstore setting for those who are court-involved, homeless, or out of school.
You can bring your books, clothing, and small household items. They accept “all genres, gently used in good or newer condition, preferably no older than 10 years.” They also note that if you want to donate reference books or textbooks, make sure they are 5 years or newer. Visit their Boston location during open hours, or better yet, call ahead. They also offer pickup services depending on volume and location.
UMass Boston Healey Library
📌 Address: 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125
🌐 Website: UMass Boston Healey Library
The Healey Library at UMass Boston mostly welcomes monetary donations and contributions of original archival materials, rare books, and manuscripts to support themselves as “a 21st century academic research library.”
They do not accept books, journals, magazines, newspapers, outdated textbooks, encyclopedias, and media, as a rule. However, they may accept current textbooks and course materials to support student learning. We recommend you contact via email to confirm your titles before donating.
Where to Donate Kids’ Books in Boston?
The Fox & Robbin Shop
📌 Address: 175 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02474
🌐 Website: The Fox & Robbin Shop
The Fox & Robbin Shop is a donation-based nonprofit children’s resale shop located inside the Fox Branch Library in Arlington. By selling donated items, the shop supports the library.
They accept various gently used, like-new things for kids, and among them are board books, picture books, chapter books, and young adult literature. They specifically ask for those in great shape (no broken spines or visible damage).
They do not accept books in poor condition or any items that have been recalled. You can also ask for a tax receipt.
Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
📌 Address: 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114
🌐 Website: Massachusetts General Hospital
Each December, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) organizes a holiday donation drive through its Child Life Department.
They usually accept teenage or meditative coloring books, new board books, and children’s books for ages 12 to 36 months (among other children’s items).
They do not accept used books, books in poor condition, or those with themes not suitable for children. Although their most recent program appears to have taken place in 2023, we recommend contacting them via email for the most up-to-date information.
Cradles to Crayons
📌 Address: Various locations in Massachusetts
🌐 Website: Cradles to Crayons (Boston)
Cradles to Crayons helps kids living in homeless or low-income situations by providing them with the essential items: a wide range of new and like-new items for children from birth through age 12. The organization collects these items from donations, and you can check out the list of donated items they accept.
They also welcome activity and coloring books, but kindly ask that you avoid donating items with family-related messaging (like “I Love Mommy” or “Daddy and I”) as well as books with religious or holiday themes. You can drop off your donations at their Giving Factory warehouse or various community donation bins.
Room to Grow
📌 Address: South End Family Center: 400 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 or Hyde Park Warehouse: 63 Sprague St. Hyde Park, MA 02136
🌐 Website: Room to Grow
Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization that supports families with small kids in need of financial support. They help parents for three years by giving them baby and toddler items, tips for child development, and links to community resources.
They accept board and picture books in English, Spanish, and other languages, including French, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese. Only new or like-new books are welcome, with all pages intact and free of tears, writing, and names.
They do not accept books inappropriate for children from birth to age 3, pregnancy and parenting books, chapter books, or those in poor condition. To schedule an appointment or make an inquiry in Boston, contact infoboston@roomtogrow.org. You can also request a tax receipt.
FAQs
What books can I donate in Boston?
As far as we can tell, children’s books are your best bet when it comes to successful donations in Boston. Beyond that, it really depends on the organization. For example, Bay State Book Company appears to accept nearly all types of books. The Friends of the Boston Public Library don’t accept outdated encyclopedias and computer books.
The Prison Book Program accepts journals and calendars for the current year, but not true crime books. The Healey Library will gladly take your rare books and manuscripts and might even consider your new or like-new textbooks. So, we recommend contacting each organization in advance to make sure they can accept your specific titles.
Where can I donate books in Boston?
You can bring your used copies to many organizations in the Boston area. You can also check our guide on places to donate used books in the US to find more options.
Where can I donate textbooks in Boston?
The Big Brother Big Sister Foundation and the Healey Library at UMass Boston specifically mention textbook donations, so we recommend checking out these organizations first. If those don’t work, you can also visit college stores.
They usually have some sort of buyback program (most active during the season). You can also check out local thrift bookstores, as some of them also accept donations. We’ve listed a few of them in our post about selling books in Boston.
Where can I donate encyclopedias (e.g., The Millennium World Book Encyclopedias)?
Unfortunately, most places don’t accept encyclopedias. Pretty much every third location we’ve examined had them listed among their non-accepted items. You can try giving them to those Boston-area organizations that accept books for redistribution or recycling, or those that don’t have any restrictions clearly stated on their website (e.g., Bay State Book Company, which we’ve already mentioned).
Alternatively, you can try organizations that operate internationally, such as Books for Africa (they seem to be accepting dictionaries or reference books published in the last 10 years, but we’re not sure about encyclopedias) or Africa’s Children’s Fund (they accept encyclopedias newer than 1990 and do not accept outdated (before 1990) or incomplete encyclopedia sets). Yet, at least those organizations have them mentioned.
Are book donations tax-deductible in Boston?
If you donate books to a qualified 501(c)(3) charity in Boston, you can usually deduct their value from your federal taxes if you itemize. For donations over $250, you’ll need a written receipt from the charity. Starting January 1, 2023, due to recent state tax law changes, Massachusetts also allows you to deduct donations on your state taxes, even if you don’t itemize. However, please keep in mind that this is not legal advice, and you need to check out IRS guidelines or consult a tax professional for more details.
Sell Your Books in Boston via BookScouter (Alternative to Donating)
If you don’t want to donate, there are plenty of places to sell your books in Boston. One of them is Used Book Superstore, “The largest used bookstore in New England.” You can also check other locations (we’ve covered them in our post about Boston).
However, we recommend starting with BookScouter first. This online price comparison platform is not location-specific, so you can use it anywhere in the US, whether in Boston or any other city or state.
You can enter the ISBN and see offers from over 30 vendors (sometimes as many as from all of them). You can immediately compare these offers and choose the best, compare shopping options, and eventually sell your book to the vendor with the best price and shipping offer. It’s simple and fast. You can do it even faster with the BookScouter app (available on iOS and Android).
If you’re a seasoned book seller, we recommend checking out BookScouter Pro Tools to facilitate more sales.
Finally, if you’re looking for book-selling alternatives beyond Boston, you can examine our guides for cities like Atlanta, Ashburn, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, and Seattle, as well as across Florida.
