The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Public Library and the Friends of the Public Library are two of the most important institutions in this city. They have been serving Albuquerque readers since long before NMLP existed, and they will be here long after. This page is not "library bad, us good." It is a careful map of which kinds of book donations the library is built to absorb, which kinds the Friends Bookshop is built to absorb, and which kinds end up at NMLP because nobody else accepts them.
Disclosure: I run NMLP. The library system is a beloved local institution and a 501(c)(3)-adjacent municipal department. The Friends of the Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969. Both have different missions than NMLP and different donor-acceptance criteria. This page tries to identify which donor situation favors which channel rather than to recommend one over the others. Where I cite library or Friends policy, I am quoting their own published rules — links at the bottom of the page.
Three different operations, three different roles
1. Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Public Library system (18 branches)
The library system accepts donations of books and audiovisual materials in good condition at branch locations. The library’s own published policy notes that “some items will not be accepted in the branches” — branch staff exercise discretion at intake based on collection-development needs and capacity. For donations of 10 or more boxes, the library asks donors to call (505) 768-5167 in advance so the branch can plan capacity. Donated books may be added to the library’s circulating collection, routed to the Friends of the Public Library for resale, or refused at intake. Hours vary by branch.
2. Friends of the Public Library — Bookshop
The Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969. Their Bookshop is on the lower level of the Main Library, 501 Copper Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM. The Bookshop’s posted donation policy accepts “gently used” books, CDs, movies, artwork, and jigsaw puzzles. Stock rotates through: current-title shelves at the Bookshop, monthly Friends book sales, the Fiction-to-Go rotating-collection program, and the Friends’ eBay shop Copper Street Books. Net proceeds fund Summer Reading, staff development, and community outreach at the library system.
3. New Mexico Literacy Project
NMLP is a for-profit New Mexico business at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107. Free 24/7 outdoor drop bin. Free home pickup by appointment. No condition rules — water-damaged, ex-library, textbooks, encyclopedias, marked-up copies, and unsorted bulk are all accepted. Readable books are hand-sorted and routed to direct buyers via Amazon and eBay (revenue funds the operation), to APS Title I classroom libraries, UNM Children’s Hospital pediatric reading carts, and Little Free Libraries. Unsalvageable books go to a regional commercial paper recycler with the binding stripped — none of the metro stream goes to a landfill. Donations are not tax-deductible because NMLP is a for-profit business.
The comparison table
| Factor | Library system | Friends Bookshop | NMLP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax status | Municipal dept. | 501(c)(3) | For-profit NM |
| Tax-deductible | Yes (govt. unit) | Yes (501(c)(3)) | No |
| Free home pickup | No | No | Yes (operator loads) |
| Drop-off hours | Branch hours (varies; closed at night) | Mon–Sat 10:30 AM–2:00 PM | 24/7 outdoor bin |
| Locations | 18 branches across Bernalillo County | 1 (501 Copper Ave NW, lower level) | 1 warehouse + metro pickup |
| 10+ boxes | Call (505) 768-5167 first | Discuss with Bookshop staff during hours | Schedule pickup, no notice required |
| Water/mold damage | Rejected | Rejected | Accepted (non-biohazard) |
| Ex-library copies | Generally rejected | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| Textbooks > 5 yrs | Generally rejected | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| Encyclopedias / Reader’s Digest | Generally rejected | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| Magazines / periodicals | Generally rejected | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| CDs / DVDs / audiobooks | Yes (good condition) | Yes (gently used) | Yes (any condition) |
| Vinyl records | Varies by branch | Generally no | Yes |
| Pre-sorting required | Yes (donor pre-sorts) | Yes (donor pre-sorts) | No |
| Where books go | Library collection (narrow) → Friends pipeline → recycling/refuse | Bookshop shelves, monthly sales, Fiction-to-Go, Copper Street Books eBay | Hand-sort: direct buyers (Amazon/eBay) + APS Title I + UNMCH + LFLs + paper recycling |
| Mission funded | Public library services | Summer Reading, staff dev., community outreach | Operating costs; books-to-readers programs |
Which donor situation favors which channel?
The library or the Friends Bookshop is the right call when:
- Your books are clean, current, and in the categories the Bookshop or branch stocks (gently used fiction, nonfiction, children’s, teen, art, vintage)
- You itemize deductions and want the deduction routed to a 501(c)(3) (Friends) or to a municipal government unit (library)
- You believe specifically in supporting Summer Reading, library staff development, and public-library community outreach as your donation purpose
- You have one or two boxes you can comfortably drop at the Main Library (501 Copper Ave NW) during Bookshop hours, or at a nearer branch during branch hours
- You want your books to potentially join the library’s circulating collection (very narrow filter; most don’t)
NMLP is the right call when:
- Your books include categories the library and Friends reject: damaged, water-stained, moldy, ex-library, textbook, encyclopedia, condensed, marginalia-heavy, periodicals
- You have an estate cleanout, downsizing, or mobility constraint and can’t load and drive — NMLP brings the truck and the muscle
- You need 24/7 availability — the Friends Bookshop closes at 2 PM; NMLP’s outdoor drop bin is open every hour of every day
- You have unsorted bulk and don’t want to pre-sort by condition or category
- You don’t itemize deductions, so the tax-receipt question is moot
- You specifically want the books routed to local Albuquerque schools, hospitals, and Little Free Libraries through named partnerships
The hybrid play
Most donors with a mixed reading library are best served by combining channels:
- Pre-sort. Pull the clean, current, hardcover and trade paperback into a “library stack.” Pull damaged, water-damaged, ex-library, textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, and unsorted bulk into a “NMLP stack.”
- Drop the library stack at the Friends Bookshop (501 Copper Ave NW, lower level of Main Library, Mon–Sat 10:30 AM–2:00 PM) or at your nearest branch. Ask for a tax receipt if you itemize.
- Call NMLP for the rest. 702-496-4214. I pick up the boxes the library can’t take. No sorting, no condition rules, I load.
- Result. Library and Friends get the donations they can shelve. The bulk and the rejects get routed to direct readers and to local schools. Nothing in the landfill. Both Albuquerque institutions supported.
The honest critique of NMLP
Things the library system and the Friends Bookshop do that NMLP doesn’t and probably never will:
- Civic mission, 50+ years. The Friends has been supporting the library since 1969. The library has been serving Albuquerque since before that. NMLP is a small business; the comparison isn’t close on institutional weight or community presence.
- Multi-branch coverage. 18 library branches across Bernalillo County; NMLP has one warehouse on Edith Blvd. If you live in the East Mountains, the closest library branch is probably less than a 10-minute drive. NMLP’s drop bin is centrally located in the North Valley.
- Issue tax receipts. Library and Friends donations are tax-deductible to itemized filers; NMLP donations are not. If the deduction is what you need, the library or Friends wins by definition.
- Direct collection development. A book donated to a library branch might end up in the circulating collection of the library itself, available for checkout by other Albuquerque readers for years. Nothing NMLP does matches that specific outcome.
- Public space and programs. Summer Reading, story times, public computers, meeting rooms, ESL classes, civics programming. NMLP is a warehouse and a phone line; the library is a community institution.
What NMLP genuinely adds
Two things the library and Friends are not built to do, that NMLP exists to do:
- Take what they can’t. Water-damaged garage finds. The 1973 encyclopedia set. Ex-library copies from a deceased aunt’s estate. Textbooks from a grown child’s college years. Reader’s Digest condensed. Eight boxes of National Geographic. Everything the library and Friends turn away at the door — NMLP takes. None of it lands in the dumpster.
- Handle the physical work. A library donation requires the donor to load, drive, and unload. For a working donor with two children and an estate to clean out, that’s the friction that ends the project. NMLP’s free pickup removes the friction — the operator (Josh) drives, loads, and hauls. The donor stands in the kitchen and points.
Sources and verification
- Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Public Library donation policy: abqlibrary.org/about-us/donations
- Library 10+ box donation phone: (505) 768-5167. Source: libanswers.abqlibrary.org
- Friends of the Public Library: friendsofthepubliclibrary.org
- Friends Bookshop location and hours: friendsofthepubliclibrary.org/bookshop
- NMLP location and policies: newmexicoliteracyproject.org
Related reading
- The library wouldn’t take his books without sorting — donor essay about the moment of getting turned away, and what was actually in the boxes (1630 Benavides Memorial, 1956 cookbook with Al Momaday cover, more).
- Lifecycle of a donated book in Albuquerque — sourced investigation of what happens to a book at each channel.
- Complete guide: 18 Albuquerque book donation channels compared.
- Goodwill vs NMLP for book donation — companion comparison.
- Savers vs NMLP for book donation — sibling comparison covering Savers’ for-profit-with-partner-nonprofit model and three Albuquerque locations.
- Salvation Army vs NMLP for book donation — sibling comparison covering Salvation Army’s 5 ABQ Family Thrift Stores, SATruck pickup service, and 501(c)(3) tax-deductible model.
- arc Thrift Stores vs NMLP for book donation — sibling 501(c)(3) comparison; arc Thrift Store at 3301 Coors Blvd NW supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Habitat ReStore vs NMLP for book donation — clarification: Habitat ReStore at 4900 Menaul Blvd NE doesn’t accept books. Routes book donors to NMLP and explains what ReStore does take.
- Bookworks Albuquerque vs NMLP for book donation — clarification: Bookworks (4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW) is a 41-year-old new-books-only independent bookstore. Doesn’t accept used-book donations; this page routes used-book donors to NMLP and explains how to support Bookworks.
- Tax-deductible book donation in Albuquerque — honest map of which channels issue receipts.
Last reviewed 2026-05-15. NMLP is a for-profit New Mexico business; donations are not tax-deductible. The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Public Library is a municipal department of the City of Albuquerque. The Friends of the Public Library is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN searchable at apps.irs.gov/app/eos). Library and Friends policies cited are quoted from their own published pages, linked in the Sources section. Corrections: [email protected].