If you’re looking to donate books in San Jose and around the central coast in general, this is some required reading!
Below, we’ve listed everywhere accepting book donations, including types of book accepted and donation guidelines to make dropping your books off as easy as possible.
San Jose Public Library Friends
Donation Type: Drop off in book bin
Branches Accepting Donations: Almaden, Bascom, Calabazas, Educational Park, Joyce Ellington, Pearl Avenue, Rose Garden, Santa Teresa, Village Square, Vineland, West Valley, Willow Glen
Type of Books Not Accepted: Magazines, textbooks, encyclopedias
Website: SJPL
How to Donate
The SJPL has all the info you need at the link above, with contact details for each library accepting donations. They currently don’t take donations at the Martin Luther King Jr. branch downtown.
Here are some guidelines for particular library branches:
- Rose Garden Branch will accept no more than 1 grocery-sized bag of books
- Vineland Branch has a 15 book limit
- West Valley Branch will accept no more than 3 grocery-sized bags
Friends of the Saratoga Libraries
Donation Type: Drop off
Store Location: 14410 Oak St, Saratoga, CA 95070
Hours: 12-5pm 7 days a week
Main Library Location: 13650 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070
Hours: 10-6pm 7 days a week
Type of Books Not Accepted: Encyclopedias, magazines, computer books over 10 years old, Reader’s Digest, SAT/AP books more than 5 years old
Website: FSL Online
How to Donate
The Friends will accept donations at either the main library or at the Book-Go-Round store on Oak St.
Book-Go-Round donations are limited to 2 boxes’ worth of books, due to limited storage space.
Hope Services
Donation Type: Drop off
Primary Location: 30 Las Colinas Lane, San Jose, CA 95119
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm
Other Locations: 7 other locations in San Jose. See their website for the useful map.
Type of Books Not Accepted: Magazines, multi-volume encyclopedias, newspapers
Website: Hope Services
How to Donate
Their map (linked to above) has all their current locations, and there are more if you venture slightly further from San Jose too.
American Cancer Society
Donation Type: Drop off
San Jose Store: 1103 Branham Lane, San Jose, CA 95118
Other Locations: Stores in Los Altos, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Pacific Grove, Salinas, and Sunnyvale
Website: See all their locations here
How to Donate
American Cancer Society Thrift Stores are prominent in San Jose and the central coast. They’ll generally accept any books in good condition, but you may want to call your closest branch to double check their capacity for book donations, first.
Recycle Bookstore
Donation Type: Trade/exchange
San Jose Location: 1066 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126
Campbell Location: 275 E Campbell Ave, Campbell, CA 95008
Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-5pm
Type of Books Accepted: Books that can be exchanged for store credit
Website: Recycle Bookstore
How to Donate
A good idea if you’re looking to shed some books, but want to restock the shelves. They’ll evaluate your books to buy during the hours above.
Don’t forget to view our guide on San Francisco book donations if you’re looking for some great literacy charities that take children’s books.
For now, that covers San Jose, and I wish you happy donating, wherever you choose to donate your books!