Milwaukee Public Library Gift Policy

The Milwaukee Public Library accepts donations of books and selected CDs and DVDs if the items enhance library collections or provide the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library with inventory for the Bookseller Used Book Store. Items that do not meet one of these two needs cannot be accepted.

To be added to library collections, donations must meet library collection standards and be items the library would purchase, have current significance or permanent value, and be in good physical condition. Donations that are not added to the library collections may be sold by the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library. All proceeds from Bookseller sales are returned to the library. The library reserves the right to make the final decision regarding all gifts. 

The following gifts are welcome:

• Current fiction and nonfiction bestsellers in good condition
• Classic literature in good condition
• Books on tape or CD
• Music CDs
• DVDs
• Current non-fiction in good condition
• Local area high school yearbooks
• Paperbacks less than five years old and in good condition

The library cannot accept the following items:

• Materials in poor condition including but not limited to:
• Those having a bad smell – smoke, mildew etc.
• Dusty, moldy or water-damaged books
• Books with yellowed, highlighted, missing or torn pages, damaged spines
• Damaged or incomplete audio-visual items
• Out dated materials.
• Paperbacks older than five(5) years
• Computer, medical or textbooks older than three (3) years
• Music on cassette, phonograph records and other outdated formats
• Almanacs or encyclopedia yearbooks older than two (2) years
• Items already discarded from any other library
• Video games
• Computer software
• Old magazines and journals

For more information or to arrange for donations of more than one box, please call (414) 286-3000 and ask for the Humanities Coordinator, Central Library, or a local neighborhood library.  You may also send e-mail.