Finished reading? Now recycle!

It is hard for those who love books to release them, but remember other people may love books as much as you do.

If you’re a bibliophile, it has probably been easy to amass a large library, without even trying. It is often hard for those who love books to release them, but remember that other people may love books as much as you do. When your bookshelves are straining at the seams, here are a few ways you can recycle your old books.

• Resell them at a local used book store.

• Sell specialty books on eBay or Amazon — know, however, that it may be too much effort and too little reward for run-of-the-mill titles.

• Host a book swap party — or make it a regular event like the AZ Book Exchange (www.meetup.com/AzBookExchange).

• Donate them to your local library.

• Donate children’s books (toddler to age 18) to foster homes and programs for at-risk youth.

• Post them on www.freecycle.com — since you have to give something before you accept any items.

• Donate them to Goodwill or another second-hand store.

• Donate them to a nursing home, hospice or hospital — even if they are not large print, the staff and visitors will welcome new reading material.

• Donate them to a prison library — especially textbooks and nonfiction educational books.

• Leave a book on a train, in a waiting room or some other public place — a potential found treasure. Tag your book with a unique code and use www.bookcrossing.com to track who finds your book.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 29, Number 3, June/July 2010.