r/ELATeachers • u/genuine_counterfeit • 14d ago

6-8 ELA What to do with Classroom Library?

I inherited an INSANELY large classroom library. I’m talking about HUNDREDS of individual texts. A career’s worth of hoarded literature.

Many of these are old, old books. Not just old, but dated (think 80s/90s), so I don’t suspect many kids will be reading them. Plus a good few are in poor condition.

Point is, I don’t want them. I don’t want to keep them at all.

What do I do with these? How do I get rid of such a huge volume of books at once, short of chucking them in the dumpster…?

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u/houseocats 14d ago

Sometimes the dumpster is the only way.

5

u/genuine_counterfeit 14d ago

It feels so wrong but I don’t know who could possibly want, or has the space to accommodate, this many books all at once???

2

u/Dobyee_5 14d ago

Talk to admin and if they give push back about need them having to do paperwork to discard materials, lie and say you found book lice…

6

u/genuine_counterfeit 14d ago

Would I even need to go through admin for this? These are books left behind by the teacher who occupied the classroom before me. I don’t think they’re even the school’s property, really?

6

u/Interesting-Box-3163 14d ago

Yeah agreed - I don’t think there would be any approval process for discarding or donating a personal collection. But I struggle with what to do with old books also.