tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529647435872563341.post3405288596857688115..comments2023-07-05T06:55:53.577-04:00Comments on College Ready Writing: What To Do With All These Books?Lee Skallerup Bessette, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12243750156552824701noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529647435872563341.post-70115099619843725942011-03-15T23:18:55.967-04:002011-03-15T23:18:55.967-04:00My brother just moved with his academic wife for a...My brother just moved with his academic wife for a tt position that they hope will be there last move ever. He purged 2000 books. (Yes, we're biblioholics. How did you know?)<br /><br />I probably need to go through my books as well. But I haven't. It's such an undertaking.<br /><br />Good for you for letting go.Dr. Davishttp://www.teachingcollegeenglish.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529647435872563341.post-45869638761144471662011-01-07T21:59:12.032-05:002011-01-07T21:59:12.032-05:00Just a thought. When I changed academic focus off...Just a thought. When I changed academic focus off my advisor's area and back onto my own, I decided to purge. I listed slightly more than half of the books for sale on Amazon and have made a good bit of money back. Half weren't worth more than my threshold ($3.00), so those were donated, but I've had some sell for anywhere up to $20 or $30 dollars. It was really easy, and the vast majority have gone to other academics. (More than half of the shipping addresses have been to either Professor so-and-so or to a campus office.)<br /><br />The one negative is that it takes time to sell them. They've been trickling out at a rate of 2-5 per week, and are about half gone. Still, by pricing aggressively (I always try to make sure my books are the lowest price, regardless of condition, since that moves them faster) and they will flow out to people who will love and read them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529647435872563341.post-24045647187227739202010-12-30T13:38:23.747-05:002010-12-30T13:38:23.747-05:00Sometimes you can use the Amazon sell service, if ...Sometimes you can use the Amazon sell service, if the books you have are still wanted. Try there?Letterpresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13983311236791267553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529647435872563341.post-30367488182082033802010-12-29T14:19:28.452-05:002010-12-29T14:19:28.452-05:00Thanks everyone. I realize that it was a part of m...Thanks everyone. I realize that it was a part of my identity, or at least who I thought I wanted or who I thought I should be. Isn't that what academia is all about, after all, fitting into someone else's vision. Time to let that go, donate some books, and get over it!Lee Skallerup Bessette, PhDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12243750156552824701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529647435872563341.post-65210429990940084292010-12-29T12:50:18.049-05:002010-12-29T12:50:18.049-05:00Been there. Books are about identity. And you had ...Been there. Books are about identity. And you had to lug that Canadian lit collection around for a while because you weren't ready to let go of your identity as a Canadian lit specialist. You are now. You are something else. Those books probably still have meaning to you, it's just not how you want to tell the story of your life anymore.<br /><br />I carried several boxes of books across an ocean and left them in boxes in my basement for several years before letting them go. Fortunately I have a friend who is a recovering book seller (not recovering very well according to his wife) who has the skills to figure out what to do with them and took them off my hands.JoVEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16680602039278597976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529647435872563341.post-59753387168705778512010-12-28T17:11:31.352-05:002010-12-28T17:11:31.352-05:00I recently completed a move and decided to donate ...I recently completed a move and decided to donate some of a huge pile of books that had sat untouched for years. It was a significant challenge to find a good place. Since I live near the Washington, DC metro area, I was able to get http://www.booksforamerica.org/ to come to my house and pick up 64 of my hardbacks and paperbacks! They set pretty high standards for what they will take, though. Goodwill also takes books. The local library was not taking donations of fiction, but were happy to take on some of my husbands collection of foreign-language study books, for which there is apparently always a demand. Start with your local libraries, and then your local university libraries. Look for local charities that specialize in this (google can lead the way). I found some great charities that recycle books that really have no further use (poor condition, outdated, etc) but they were not near enough for me to make use of. I found charities that donate books to women's shelters, prisons, and more. Good luck finding something local for you!Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07501557341739727382noreply@blogger.com