Donations
FinancialLibrary supporters are encouraged to make financial donations to the Friends of the Hennepin County Library.
Books and other materials
Donations of books and other materials are accepted for resale by the Friends of the Hennepin County Library (Friends of HCL.) The Library does not provide appraisals and does not accept materials that are not outright gifts.
Before going to a Hennepin County library to donate materials, please contact that location for more information and to confirm that donations are currently being accepted.
For donations related to local history, personal or organizational archives, or books of special value please review the Special Collections Donation Guidelines.
See the Library Board Donation Policy for information about donating works of art or material that may be suitable for Special Collections.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of materials does Hennepin County Library accept?
HCL accepts donations of books and AV materials that are in good condition. The library does not accept books with mold, handwriting, or highlighting; magazines, Reader's Digest condensed books, or textbooks.
What happens to the book (or other material) after I donate it?
Generally, it will be sold in a book sale to benefit the Library, or offered as a free book during a library event or program. Materials that contain outdated information about health, science, business, etc. will be recycled.
Why don't you add my donation to the library collection? It's free.
Even though your gift is free, there are several costs associated with adding any item to the collection: evaluation, data entry, accounting, cataloging, classification, labeling, and other processing tasks, which add up to considerable staff time. In some cases, these handling costs may exceed the cost of the item.
Once I donate my book, can I get it back?
Once you give an item to the Library, the gift becomes the property of the Friends of the Library. They are unable to return donated materials.
If I donate this to you, can you tell me how much it is worth for IRS purposes?
By law, we cannot determine the value of a donation for IRS purposes. We can supply you with a letter that acknowledges the donation you made to the Library.
If you will not accept my donation, do you have a list of other places that might?
Here is a list of some organizations that may accept your donations.
I'm an author or artist, how can I get my book, CD, or DVD into your library?
See information for authors and artists on the Suggest a Purchase page.
