Material Guidelines

Thank you for following our Material Guidelines. By following these guidelines, you help us reduce our carbon footprint while minimizing transportation, warehousing, and processing costs. As a result, we are committed to making the process as simple as possible while striving to offer our free service to as many libraries as possible.

Here are our guidelines for what to ship versus recycle locally:

Send to Better World Books:

Books and Monographs

 Example

SEND:

Books and Monographs

Rare Books
(See Antiquarian & Rare) (North America Only)

 Example

SEND:

Rare Books

Children’s Books
(Including unused workbooks and activity books)

 Example

SEND:

Children’s Books

College Textbooks
(published within 10 years)

 Example

SEND:

College Textbooks

Foreign Language Books (with ISBN)
Spanish, French, German, Russian

 Example

SEND:

Foreign Language Books (with ISBN)

Fiction and Nonfiction
(hardcover and paperback)

 Example

SEND:

Fiction and Nonfiction

 

Condition Requirements

Books must be free of mildew, mold/mould, excessive dust and dirt. In addition, books cannot have water damage, nor should they exhibit excessive spine damage, have missing pages or missing covers. Please leave any library treatments intact. No part of the book’s pages should be removed with scissors or razor blades.

 

Do Not Send to Better World Books:

Annuals and Yearbooks

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Annuals and Yearbooks

Audio Cassettes, VHS Tapes, LP Records/Vinyl, & Computer Software

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Audio Cassettes, VHS Tapes, LP Records/Vinyl, & Computer Software

Book Club Editions
(Reader’s Digest Condensed and Time-Life Books)

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Book Club Editions

Britannica and World Books Encyclopedia

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Britannica and World Books Encyclopedia

Procedural Law Books

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Procedural Law Books

Custom Course Packets

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Custom Course Packets

Directories, Telephone Books and Indexes

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Directories, Telephone Books and Indexes

Duplicate Copies
(in excess of 20 copies per title)

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Duplicate Copies

Unsellable Editions
Free Copies, Review Copies, Examination Copies, Complimentary Copies, Not for Sale Copies, Not for Resale Copies, Counterfeit Copies, Unbound Edition, Advanced Reading Copies, Uncorrected Proofs, or Galleys

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Unsellable Editions

Journals and Periodicals
(ex: Literary Criticisms)

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Journals and Periodicals

Microfilm and Microfiche Newspapers and Magazines

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Microfilm and Microfiche Newspapers and Magazines

Non-Western Script Books
(See Rare Books)

Tax and Government Documents or Forms

International Editions or Low Price Editions (LPE)
Applies to clients shipping from the US only

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

International Editions or Low Price Editions (LPE)

Hybrid Editions

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Hybrid Editions

Stand Alone Access Cards

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Stand Alone Access Cards

DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs

Example

DO NOT SEND:

DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs

Audiobooks and CDs

Video Games

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Video Games

Playaways

 Example

DO NOT SEND:

Playaways