Donating books

Donations take significant staff resources and time to assess, catalogue and process. Solihull Libraries accepts suitable donated items on a limited basis:

• Fiction must be in excellent/as new condition and no more than 2 years old.
• Non-Fiction must be in excellent/as new condition and no more than 2 years old.

Once an item has been donated to Solihull Libraries, it becomes the property of Solihull Libraries and is subject to the same maintenance and stock review procedures as purchased stock. It may be withdrawn or circulated as appropriate. Items considered not suitable for library stock will either be sold or disposed of. 

We do not accept donations with conditions attached. We do not accept donations of magazines or newspapers, nor do we accept donations of CDs or DVDs. 

For items of a local nature, please contact the Solihull Heritage and Local Studies Service at heritage@solihull.gov.uk.

If an item is not suitable for donation, library staff will redirect the donor to local locations, other than Solihull Libraries, who may be able to receive it.

Solihull Libraries reserve the right to refuse any deposit, donation, or bequest.

For self-published titles, while Solihull Libraries will consider donations on an individual basis, we will rarely purchase these as we cannot guarantee that the item has undergone the editorial review processes undertaken by larger publishers. 

We do not accept unsolicited items, and any unsolicited items sent to Solihull Libraries will not be returned to sender but will be disposed of. Similarly, unsolicited communications requesting purchase of a self-published title will not automatically be responded to.

Authors wishing to donate self-published titles are advised to email libraries@solihull.gov.uk with full details of the item/donation, making it clear that the item is for donation. The Library Specialist Team will then consider the information provided and will advise by email whether the donation is to be accepted. 

Once donated, all rights to the material pass to Solihull Libraries. Items considered not suitable for library stock will either be sold or disposed of. We do not accept donations with conditions attached.

There may also be occasions where donations are actively sought by libraries for special projects or services, in which case requests will be publicised locally.