Donating, selling and buying books and other items

Donating items

Donating to libraries

We are grateful to receive audiobooks, music, DVDs as well as books of all kinds. We will consider local history material on DVD or other formats, but can't accept for loan any non-rental DVDs as this a breach of copyright and industry contracts.

Please take donations to your local library and ask for the library manager.

As shelf space is limited donated items must meet the following library standards:

they are in good condition – not fading, yellowing, marked inside, with weak spines or loose or missing pages
they are reasonably current, especially non-fiction
they have a good standard of content and publisher – authoritative, popular subjects
we can dispose of them as we like – they may be offered to other libraries, sold, or otherwise disposed of.

We are always interested in receiving rare or interesting local studies material, including photographs, postcards and illustrations. See local history photographs in libraries.

Donating to our record office

Do you own original historical documents that could be of interest to researchers at East Sussex Record Office?

Find out about donating, depositing and withdrawing records.

Donating to charities

Books that do not meet the high standards of library stock are often welcomed by charity shops, care homes or hospitals. These can be found on the East Sussex Community Information Service (ESCIS):

Community, Voluntary and Charity groups

The charity Book Aid International sends books and journals to libraries, hospitals, refugee camps and schools in Africa. Items should be in a nearly new condition and under 10 years old.

Book Aid International website

Bequests and larger quantities of books

We accept small bequests, but do not have the resources to manage large bequests. Each case will be treated on its own merits, and should be discussed first with the library manager at your local library.

Bequests which are considered suitable are dealt with by our Reader Development Manager.

For advice on dealing with wills and other issues, please see our page on coping with bereavement.

Selling secondhand books

To buy or sell secondhand books at bookshops and online auctions, check the list of booksellers on the British Library website.

Buying books and more from libraries

Buying books, films and music

We regularly sell old and donated books and DVDs so we can make room for new items on our shelves. This is a good opportunity to buy older reference books or fiction. We don't keep lists of what is available, so just drop in to see the latest offers on the sales shelves in any library.

Buying historical photos

You can buy printed and electronic copies of our local history photographs, as well as a selection of mounted prints. See local history photographs in libraries.

The Big Bag of Books