Many people who have come to gather a large number of books throughout their lives, may be wondering what to do with all of them now, either due to lack of space or lack of interest. Old books can have great sentimental or even historical value and that is why, if we are thinking of doing without them, we eat our heads wondering what will be the best way to do it.
That is why, in this article, we are going to tell you about several possible options to know what to do with old books and give these ancient windows to information and imagination a second life.
Give away used books
If you have old books at home that you hold dear or of special value but you no longer have space or don’t know what to do with them, one of the most popular solutions is to give them to people close to you. Thus, the used books that, in their day, were read and enjoyed by you, can now be used by people in an altruistic way.
Donate your old books
If your intention is to give them but you don’t know people around you who might want them or take advantage of them as they deserve, you will always have the option of donating them. If you ask yourself “Where can I donate my used books?”, you can give them to NGOs or donate them to hospitals. Currently, there are hundreds of cultural associations, libraries, both public and private, or social centers that accept this type of cultural contribution, sometimes even out of print, to give books a second life .
Sell them second hand
Another option that can be used when getting rid of old books is making an economic profit from them, selling them second-hand. You may consider that the library you have consists of a series of titles or copies of great value that could be of interest to specialized bookstores or individuals, whether because they are valuable classics, rare books or out of print. You can always try to put them on sale through the Internet or flea markets to get extra money.
Use books as furniture
However, if the books that you no longer want have no significance for you and are simply taking up space at home, you can choose to transform them and use them as part of the furniture. There are those who use these old books to make crafts or even as a Christmas tree . Other examples of this type of solution would be tables, shelves or low stools, doing the corresponding work of gluing and gluing.
Make secret boxes with used books
Another of the crafts that can be done with books and that can be quite useful is to turn some of them that are thicker, into secret boxes where you can store money or things of value. You will simply have to empty a rectangular shape inside the sheets with a sharp cutter or knife and glue them all together. By closing the book and placing it on the shelf it will go unnoticed.
Make crafts with old books
You can also get creative and make crafts with your old books, taking advantage of their leaves to make a variety of decorative ideas:
Free your used books
If, on the other hand, you don’t want to think much and simply want to get rid of the books that you have leftover without doing much paperwork, one of the options that you can consider is to release them in public spaces. In many places it is a highly regarded practice since, far from being considered garbage, it would be giving the option to anyone who happens to get hold of them and give them a second life.
What’s more, there are specific places to release your old books, you just have to find out about their locations in your city. You can also create that space yourself on public roads. Of course, we advise you to add a sign that exposes the idea itself of releasing and sharing old books in that place, so you will avoid any confusion and that they will be thrown away.
Get a storage room for your used books
If your library no longer fits at home but you do not want to do without any of its books, one of the options that you can consider is to buy or rent a storage room or a space where you can store this type of belongings so that you can use them whenever you need. you need, but without taking up unnecessary space in your home.
Open a second-hand bookstore
If you have time and an entrepreneurial spirit, another option you can have for your valued library is to open space, either physical or virtual, where you can trade them and offer them as second-hand products. Currently, there are platforms or large bookstores that offer this option. In this way, you can get an economic benefit in addition to getting into the booksellers market.
Recycle your used books
The last option that is free of any involvement with books is to convert books back to paper so that they can become part of another product. If the books have no value to you and you don’t see the possibility of selling or donating them, you can always throw them away, but make sure to do it in the cardboard and paper container so that they can be recycled and help the planet. We help you recycle your used books by turning them into paper in our article How to make craft paper.
