Magazines
Featured Articles:
Extend the Life of Books and Magazines
by: Dave and Lillian Brummet
Promote reading in your community, reduce clutter
around your home and your contribution of waste to the landfill,
save a buck and benefit a charity while you are at it. Just how are
you supposed to do all this? Well, it is actually quite simple. Go
through your closets and bookshelves and look for all the used books
and magazines that you no longer read.
Families that have moved repeatedly know the
curse of hoarding is best avoided if at all possible. Moving
literally hundreds of pounds of them certainly prompted us to
systematically read our books once each and then decide whether it
was a "keeper" or not.
Management of used books and magazines is a very
environmental and community conscious thing for people to
participate in. Extending the life of books and magazines is easily
accomplished by taping the binding and edges of the covers. This
repairs any damages, prevents wear and tear, and increases the value
because it is nicer looking.
There are many options for you to consider for
used books and magazines:
Donating to any library is a good idea. Even well
read publications are appreciated. If they do not make it to the
library bookshelf, they will be sold in their annual fundraising
book sale. There are many kinds of libraries to consider aside from
public ones - including church libraries, retirement home libraries,
coffee shops and mobile libraries.
Consider participating in Book Crossing
(www.bookcrossing.com) - a charming way to encourage reading and
create a connection with the community. This program requests that
people register their used book, place an informative label on it
and leave it at a common destination place (i.e. bus stop).
Individuals that pick up the book visit the website and describe
where they found it and where they decided to leave it for the next
person to read. It can be quite interesting to see how far the book
travels!
Operation Paperback (www.operationpaperback.org)
accepts donated reading material for the military.
Trading in at the used bookstore is one of our
favorite past-times. It feels good to support a local store that
focuses on 'reuse'. The trouble is our shelf is filled once again
when we return with bundles of 'new' books to read!
Get involved in exchange loops with friends,
family or co-workers. By doing this, we have found ourselves exposed
to all sorts of subjects and writing styles that we may not have
picked up ourselves.
Using the Key Words "Book Swap" in a search
engine reveals many places online where one can trade used books,
including:
www.paperbackswap.com
www.titletrader.com
www.frugalreader.com
www.bookswap.com
Leave a box of books near your door for guests to
riffle through and have their pick. This way you don’t have to
remember to trot out the box when people are visiting.
Donate to any fund raising event held by schools,
churches or non-profit groups.
Sell, or give away in a garage sale. We always
offer free stuff when we have a garage sale. One day we set out a
box of magazines, thinking we would be lucky to see half of them
off. One of the first bargain hunters happily scooped up the entire
box. She couldn’t believe her luck.
Many waiting rooms (doctor, lawyer, accountant
and banking offices) and staff lunchrooms accept donated reading
materials.
Consider hospitals - their patients have to do
something healthier than staring at a TV.
A Local Literacy program.
Coffee shops are another great place to try.
Shelters for the poor or disadvantaged, Women's
shelters and missions are other places to consider for your
donations. There are a number of less-privileged areas (i.e.
www.asiahousinternational.org
www.sabre.org/books/bookorg/bkdn_toc.htm
www.loc.gov/rrr/amed/afs/alc/bkdncte.html
www.ala.org – lists contact information for
organizations that distribute used books.
www.nationalbook.org/bookdonations.html – lists
places that accept book donations
About The Author
Written by Dave and Lillian Brummet based on the concept of their
book, Trash Talk. The book offers useful solutions for the
individual to reduce waste and better manage resources. A guide for
anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)