Thank you for considering a donation of books or other materials to Cleveland Public Library.
Cleveland Public Library welcomes gifts of new and good-condition used books, DVDs, CDs, and similar materials held by the Library. The Library does not accept magazines, encyclopedias, sheet music, audio cassettes, videocassettes or LP records.
Materials may be donated during open hours at any of the Library’s 27 neighborhood branches and at the Lending Department (either building) at Main Library downtown. No appointment is necessary however, due to COVID 19 closings and procedure changes, we recommend you call the Library at 216-623-2800 to make arrangements for in-person donations.
Once donated, items become the property of Cleveland Public Library and are reviewed for possible inclusion in its collections. Unneeded materials may be sold (with proceeds going to the Friends of CPL to support Library programs), given away, recycled or discarded. Donated items will not be returned to the donor, and the library will only accept items that are outright gifts. The Library reserves the right to decide when a gift added to the collection must be withdrawn.
If you would like an acknowledgment letter from the Library for your donation, please let the staff person who receives your gift items know of your request. Acknowledgment letters are generally mailed within four to eight weeks after the receipt of the donation and include only a count of items received by category (e.g., hardback, paperback, etc.). The Library does not provide inventories of items donated.
If the items are being donated to obtain a tax benefit, it is your responsibility to establish fair market value or obtain expert assistance in establishing any value. The Library is unable to provide appraisals, fair market values, or inventories of the items donated. You may wish to make a list of items donated for personal or tax purposes.
