Library seeks books
with selling value

Question: The Friends of the Library have a great sale during the summer, so my son-in-law took some books to donate to a local library recently. But he was told they don't want anything over 2 years old. Can you clarify what they do accept and what they don't? Maybe that restriction applies just to novels. What about cookbooks or art books, or do they really don't want anything over two years old? If so, do you have any other ideas for book lovers who don't want to just throw away books?

Answer: There are definite guidelines for the kinds of books the Friends of the Library of Hawaii does NOT want, based on their sales potential.

This year's book sale -- the 58th annual -- will be held 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. July 9-15 and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. July 16 in the McKinley High School cafeteria.

You can get a copy of donation guidelines by calling the Friends at 536-4174.

Donors are asked to pack books with questionable sales value separately and marked "salable?" That way, volunteers can quickly evaluate the books.

Books with little or no sales potential are:

» Textbooks, encyclopedias, medical and law books more than 5 years old.
» Magazines more than 2 years old. However, if they are magazines on Hawaiian or Pacific subjects or National Geographics, the group wants to evaluate each one.
» Travel books more than 10 years old unless they have many photos, have literary value or are on Hawaiian or Pacific subjects.
» Books in poor physical condition -- mutilated, discolored, with loose pages, with highlighted passages, with torn or mutilated covers, moldy, etc. The rule of thumb: If you don't want it in your house, probably no one else would, either.

Generally, however, Hawaiiana and Pacificana materials are always wanted, regardless of their condition, because they have proved to be "prime moneymakers."

Byrde Cestare, the new executive director of the Friends of the Library of Hawaii, says individual libraries might have their own criteria as to what they will accept for their own sales or use.

She suggested contacting neighborhood schools or libraries to see if they might want your books, even if they are not acceptable for the annual book sale. Just "don't give up," Cestare said.

More than 100,000 books will be offered for sale this year, as well as CDs, videos, DVDs, records and books on tape.

Q: I recently found bags of bottles without the "HI5c" notation. Is it still possible to redeem them?

A: No.

The state Department of Health, which is overseeing the bottle deposit/redemption program, says containers without the deposit value of 5 cents marked on them are not eligible for refunds.

Refunds will only be given for containers labeled as a deposit beverage and that are empty and clean of free-flowing liquid or foreign matter, and are not crushed.

For more information, call 586-4226 or check the Web site www.hawaii.gov/doh.

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Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com

Library seeks books with selling value

Library seeks books
with selling value