National Donate a Book Day is celebrated on April 14 by readers across the U.S. Whether it’s new or gently used books, you’re encouraged to donate them to your local libraries. If the books are not added to the libraries’ collections, they’ll hand them to Friends of Libraries. The Friends of Libraries use donated books to load their book sale fundraisers for the library. So, donate yours to a local public library as a means to share knowledge with others.
History of National Donate a Book Day
National Donate a Book Day was announced for the first time by Book-of-the-Month Club, a book subscription service founded in 1926, on April 14, 2011, during National Library Week. It was held in celebration of Book of the Month’s anniversary of 85 years and was facilitated by a partnership with the A.L.T.A.F.F., a division of the American Library Association (A.L.A.). Ever since that day, readers in the U.S. have been encouraged to donate new or gently used books to their local public libraries to “share the joy of reading.”
And to give you more information about Book of The Month, it was co-founded by an American publisher and economist, Isaac Harry Scherman. It offers a monthly curated selection of new books and delivers them to its members — emphasizing early releases and debut authors. They are known for having helped launch the careers of some acclaimed authors in American literary history, including Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell with her “Gone with the Wind” and Nelson Richard DeMille with his “By the Rivers of Babylon.”
In 2016, Book-of-the-Month Club announced its first annual Book of the Year Award. The club members choose the finalists. The first award was called Lolly as a tribute to the first book selected by the club back in 1926, “Lolly Willowes” by Sylvia Nora Townsend Warner. In 2017, the award added a prize of 10,000 USD, and the winner was “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” by John Boyne. “Circe” by Madeline Miller won the award in 2018. In 2019, “Daisy Jones & The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid was the winner. “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett won the award in 2020.
National Donate a Book Day timeline
Isaac Harry Scherman co-founds Book of the Month.
Book-of-the-Month distributes its 100 millionth book.
Book-of-the-Month Club announces National Donate a Book Day on April 14.
Book-of-the-Month Club announces its first annual book award.
National Donate a Book Day FAQs
Are old books worth anything?
Beaten-up old books will have little value since a book’s condition will directly influence its value.
Can you put books in the recycling?
You can’t always recycle books with other paper recycling due to their glues.
Does anyone use encyclopedias anymore?
Schools and libraries can still make use of encyclopedias.
How to Observe National Donate a Book Day
Donate a book
The day says it all. Donate your gently used books to a local public library. Or you may even want to donate new ones. Whichever you decide, local libraries would really appreciate your efforts.
Spread the word
Your family or friends may have gently used books, but they’re unaware of the day. Tell them about the day so that they can start donating as well.
Try their subscription
Are you looking to try a book subscription box? Then, it’s the best time to subscribe to Book of the Month. They’ll offer you five hardcover books to choose from early releases and debut authors and deliver them to your location.
5 Interesting Facts About Books You Need To Know
The “Bible” is the best-selling book
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, with around five million sold.
“In Search of Lost Time” is the longest
Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time” is the longest book in the world, with an estimated 9,609,000 characters.
“Codex Leicester” is the most expensive
The “Codex Leicester” by Leonardo da Vinci is the most expensive book ever sold, worth 30.8 million USD in 1994.
“This is the Prophet Mohamed” is the largest
The book titled “This the Prophet Mohamed” by Mshahed International Group is the largest book, weighing 3,307 pounds.
Abhijita Gupta’s the youngest author
Gupta is the world’s youngest author to write poetry and prose.
Why National Donate a Book Day is Important
It’s a chance to give
Some of us probably have good books that we’ve finished reading. Instead of just sitting in the drawer, it’s better to give them to other people to read.
We can buy new books
Because we’ve already given our finished books to others in good shape, we can buy new books to read for ourselves.
We can meet new people
One of the points of donating a book is to share knowledge. Since we need to visit the library, there’s a chance we can meet new people along the way and share knowledge in person.
National Donate a Book Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | April 14 | Monday |
| 2026 | April 14 | Tuesday |
| 2027 | April 14 | Wednesday |
| 2028 | April 14 | Friday |
| 2029 | April 14 | Saturday |
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