Donate Books and Materials
Donate books to be sold in the Newberry Bookshop and at free public programs or fill out our donation form to inquire about contributing an item to the Newberry's collection.
Used books are sold every summer at NewberryFest.
Donate Used Books
We accept donations of used books, which are sold in the Newberry Bookshop and at free public programs throughout the year.
Book donations are accepted year-round and can be dropped off between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm, Monday through Saturday at the Newberry’s north entrance off of Oak Street. Please ring the bell at the door for entry and place donations in the box just inside the door. If you're dropping off more than 10 boxes, we ask that you contact us in advance at (312) 255-3581 or via email.
We accept books in all genres. We ask that you do not donate the following:
- Reference books such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and travel guides
- Textbooks
- Magazines, newspapers, posters, calendars, and bookmarks
- Playbills
- Sheet music
- Vinyl records, VHS cartridges, cassettes tapes, 8-track cartridges, Laser Discs, reel-to-reel tapes, DVDs, and CDs
- Household items, electronics, and non-book items
- Books that have torn and missing pages or water damage
We regret that we are unable to pick up books.
Donations are tax deductible. We can provide you with a receipt when you make your donation.
Used books are sorted and priced by volunteers and then sold in our bookshop, at free public programs throughout the year, and through our online partner Thriftbooks. All proceeds from sales benefit the library’s collections and programs.
Donate to the Collection
Newberry curators focus on collecting original and primary sources such as manuscripts and early editions of printed books and maps. We also selectively acquire secondary literature that will help users access and use original source material. Examples of secondary literature include scholarly editions of primary sources, reference tools, monographs, journals, and digital resources.
If you are considering a gift of materials to the Newberry, please review our core subject areas and fill out the form below. The appropriate curator or librarian will be in touch.
Donation Inquiry Form
Questions marked by an asterisk (*) are required.
Have a Question?
Get in Touch
For information about donating used books to the Newberry, call (312) 255-3581 or send us an email.