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Thread: what would you do with old university text books?

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    Smart Canuck
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    I have a bunch of old university text books: chemistry, physics, biology, calculus, statistics, etc. Probably over 15 years old, all in excellent condition. I have no idea why I didn't sell them when I finished my courses back then!

    Does anybody know if they are of any use to anybody? Should I just dump them in the recycle bin? Any ideas, anyone?
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    Sith Lady and Cool Kid Darth Penguin's Avatar
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    I'd check the edition/publishing date against what is being used by your local universities. If they are out of date, then try looking at your local education missionary groups to see if they may be useful in Third World Counties..


    Short answer : no Long answer : NOOOOOOOOOOO!

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    Smart Canuck
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    Quote Originally Posted by Darth Penguin View Post
    I'd check the edition/publishing date against what is being used by your local universities. If they are out of date, then try looking at your local education missionary groups to see if they may be useful in Third World Counties..
    Thanks! That is a great idea! I would not have thought of that!

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    Smart Canuck safielstar's Avatar
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    if they're that old, the university book store will not likely buy them to resell. I'd check regular used book stores or just donate them.
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    Smart Canuck
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    I love the idea of giving it to third world countries instead of trying to give my books to a third party so that they can sell them, either for themselves or for other charities.

    Unfortunately, I was not able to find such third world donation organizations in Canada. In US, BetterWorldBooks allows free shipping of the books, but only within US.
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    If you’re like me, you probably kept the books because you figured that you would reference them at some point in the future. Since you said they are all in excellent condition, you could consider donating them to a college in your area. In most cases they just ask that the books are clean, unmarked/light marked and free of bugs. I would start checking with the smaller colleges in your area as they may have more of a need.
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    CaNewbie Dan in Canada's Avatar
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    I had a bunch of old university textbooks I didn't have a use for so I donated them to the local library. The ones that are 2-3 years old are still likely relevant but any older and I find some of the information can be dated
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    I finally found a place that will accept old text books for a worthy cause.

    Canadian School Book Exchange
    3300 Ridgeway Dr., Unit 5, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 5Z9

    will accept textbooks, library books, including encyclopedias and magazines. They will recycle them and donate the proceeds to the World Vision charitable organization and also make a matching donation.

    I guess it's better than throwing in the garbage
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    Bean bun going offline Ciel's Avatar
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    In the Bay Observer (Oct. issue), there was an article about a program started at Western Univ (UWO) and now expanded to McMaster Univ. Old textbooks are sold and if not sold, the books get sent to Africa, where books are hard to come by.
    Program is called Textbooks for Change. http://www.textbooksforchange.ca/

    Unless indicated otherwise, municipal recycling programs usually say softcover books are ok for the blue box. No hardcover books i.e. encyclopedia sets.

    Libraries, if they have an online presence, usually indicate what is accepted for donated library materials. Pretty much a preference for current titles. YMMV as libraries reserve right to pitch any donated materials if they don't suit the library's needs. Hamilton Public Library also provides a list of places that may want magazines, paperback books, etc.
    Last edited by Ciel; Mon, Nov 10th, 2014 at 11:27 PM.
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    thanks

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    CaNewbie Dan in Canada's Avatar
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    I sold mine online once I determined I no longer had a use for them. The ones that didn't sell were donated to the library
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    Trade them with other students online!

    Try paperbackswap.com
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    Canadian Guru macw1960's Avatar
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    You can recycle hard cover books as long as you cut both covers off...at least we could at the SA. if you have no other option.





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    If they are relatively new you can sell them on websites like "tusbe", but if they are old they would be almost worthless as publishers frequently modify their books to prevent older books being reused.
    For me personally, I held on to almost all the text books I had because of the emotional attachment I felt towards them!

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