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Central New Mexico Community College & Albuquerque

CNM textbook donations — what to do with old textbooks from Central New Mexico Community College

CNM is the largest community college in New Mexico, with more than twenty thousand students spread across five campuses. Nursing students, trade apprentices, allied health majors, dual-credit high schoolers, GED completers, pre-transfer students heading to UNM — they all accumulate textbooks that become dead weight the moment a semester ends. New Mexico Literacy Project runs a free pickup and 24/7 drop-off operation about ten minutes from CNM Main Campus. NCLEX prep guides, HVAC manuals, pharmacology references, CompTIA certification books, welding code handbooks, anatomy atlases — all of it, any condition, any quantity. This page covers every CNM program, every campus, and every angle: what I take from every program (this term’s required books included), how the donation process works, why you can skip the CNM Bookstore buyback line, and why the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE might be the fastest option you have not considered.

Call 505-250-3804 Text to schedule pickup

Request Your Free Pickup

Ready to donate? Tell me what you have and where it is. I’m the only person who shows up — I do the lifting, any condition, no sorting. Tell me your timeline and I’ll do my best to work with it. Texts go straight to my phone at 505-250-3804.

Prefer to drop off? Open 24/7.

5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A · no appointment

Drop-off details

Last verified September 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

The end-of-semester textbook problem at CNM

Central New Mexico Community College is the largest community college in the state, enrolling more than twenty thousand students in a typical year. Five campuses, dozens of programs, semesters that run on both sixteen-week and eight-week calendars. Every time one of those terms ends, a wave of textbooks becomes surplus.

Community college textbooks have a different lifecycle than university textbooks. Programs are more vocational, more hands-on, more directly tied to certification exams. That means the textbooks tend to be either very practical (trade manuals, code references, certification prep) or very clinical (nursing, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy). Both categories cycle faster than a typical English lit anthology, so the sooner a current edition comes in, the sooner it reaches the next student who needs it.

Most of it has no obvious next stop. Older editions, supplementary materials, workbooks, trade manuals, course packets, GED prep materials, and plenty of this term’s required books end up in closets and recycling bins. That is the gap I fill, and every one of those categories is welcome.

New Mexico Literacy Project is run by Josh Eldred, a one-person operation working out of a warehouse at 5445 Edith Blvd NE — about ten minutes from CNM Main Campus heading north on I-25 or up Edith Blvd. Free pickup from anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, or a 24/7 outdoor drop box that is accessible day and night, every day of the year. No minimum, no condition requirements, no appointment for the drop box. For every campus in the metro, the Albuquerque textbook donation hub covers drop-off and pickup in one place. This page is focused on CNM — what happens when you want the books gone efficiently and want them to end up somewhere useful.

Five CNM campuses — one pickup number

CNM is not a single campus. It is spread across the Albuquerque metro in a way that no other local college is, and each campus has its own academic personality. Understanding the campus layout matters for textbook donations because the textbook mix differs significantly by location.

I pick up from all five campuses and from student housing near each one. The 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE is the centrally located alternative — a quick drive from any campus in the metro.

Main Campus — University & Coal

The largest and most diverse campus. Home to the nursing program, allied health, business, IT, liberal arts, and the bulk of CNM’s general education course load. This is where most pre-transfer students — those planning to continue at UNM — take their intro-level courses. The textbook volume here is enormous: everything from anatomy atlases to intro psychology to business statistics.

Main Campus is about ten minutes south of the NMLP warehouse. Straight shot up I-25, exit at Montano, or take Edith Blvd north through the neighborhoods. Main Campus pickups are scheduled by route, like everywhere else in the metro.

Montoya Campus — Trades & Technical

Located near I-25 and Comanche, Montoya is CNM’s trade and technical hub. HVAC, welding, automotive technology, electrical, plumbing, construction technology, and manufacturing — the programs here produce a very different kind of textbook than what comes out of Main Campus. Trade manuals, NEC codebooks, EPA 608 study guides, ASE certification prep, OSHA reference materials, blueprint reading texts.

These books stay useful well beyond the classroom. Working tradespeople use many of the same references on job sites, so some go back out to apprentices and others serve a second life as reference material in shops and garages.

Westside Campus — Universe Blvd NW

Located on Universe Blvd NW in the Ventana Ranch area, the Westside Campus serves the west side of the metro with a general education and career-technical mix. Business courses, early childhood education, criminal justice, and general education prerequisites are common programs. Textbook donations from Westside tend to be intro-level and survey-course materials — the same books CNM Main Campus uses, just offered at a more convenient location for west-side residents.

Free pickup available from the Westside area. The drop box on Edith Blvd is a straightforward drive east across the river.

South Valley Campus — Isleta Blvd

The South Valley campus focuses on general education, ESL, adult basic education, and GED preparation alongside some career-technical programs. This campus serves a community with a high proportion of first-generation college students and adult learners returning to education. The textbook mix reflects that: developmental math and English, GED prep materials, ESL workbooks, and introductory course texts.

I pick up from the South Valley area regularly. The drop box is about fifteen minutes north via I-25 or Second Street.

Rio Rancho Campus — Broadmoor

CNM’s newest campus serves the rapidly growing Rio Rancho population. General education, business, and health science prerequisites are the primary programs. Students here are often commuters who also juggle work and family, which means end-of-semester textbook disposal competes with a dozen other priorities. Free pickup removes that task entirely.

Rio Rancho pickups are folded into metro-wide routes. The drop box is about twenty to twenty-five minutes south via NM-528 and I-25.

End of semester approaching? Clear your textbooks without the hassle.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos for pickup

CNM nursing textbooks — this term’s editions especially welcome

CNM’s nursing program is one of the largest in New Mexico, producing graduates who feed directly into the Albuquerque healthcare system — Presbyterian, Lovelace, UNM Hospital, the VA. The textbook stack for a CNM nursing student is substantial: fundamentals of nursing, medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology, pathophysiology, maternal-newborn, pediatric nursing, psychiatric nursing, community health, and the ever-present NCLEX prep materials.

Every one of those is welcome, the editions on this term’s syllabus included. NCLEX prep guides — both the comprehensive review books and the practice-question books — go straight back out to nursing students across the country, not just at CNM. Pharmacology textbooks too: the drug classes do not change as fast as the edition numbering suggests, so a two-edition-old pharmacology text still teaches the same mechanisms and still reaches a student on a tight budget.

Anatomy atlases are a special case. The large-format illustrated references — Netter, Grant, Rohen — are heavy and awkward to move, so many students leave them behind. Those are exactly the books I want in the donation stream: put them in the drop box or set them out for a pickup, and they go on to the next student who needs one.

Clinical skills manuals, lab guides, and nursing procedure handbooks round out the nursing textbook category. Current editions of all these are welcome, and so are prior editions. The core clinical content — wound care procedures, medication administration, patient assessment techniques — does not become obsolete just because a new edition adds updated practice guidelines or revised NCLEX question formats.

If you are a CNM nursing student who has just passed the NCLEX, or a CNM nursing faculty member with a shelf of review copies, the whole collection can go in one trip, current editions and all. For a comprehensive look at medical and nursing textbook donations, there is a dedicated page that covers every specialty and edition scenario.

Trade program textbooks — HVAC, welding, automotive, electrical, plumbing

CNM’s Montoya Campus and the trade-focused programs across other campuses produce a textbook category that most donation operations do not know how to handle. Trade manuals are different from academic textbooks. They are more practical, more visual, more tied to specific certification exams. They also reach a different set of readers: working tradespeople and apprentices, not just next term’s class.

Here is what I see come through from CNM trade programs. Every category is welcome, current code editions and certification prep included:

HVAC

Refrigeration and air conditioning textbooks, EPA 608 certification study guides, HVAC design manuals, ductwork and piping references, electrical controls for HVAC, and energy efficiency handbooks. EPA 608 prep books are especially welcome because every HVAC technician needs the certification. Current-standard HVAC textbooks go back out to students in the program, and older editions still serve as practical reference material.

Welding

AWS certification prep materials, welding technology fundamentals, metallurgy introductions, blueprint reading for welders, pipe welding guides, and structural welding references. Certification prep materials (especially for AWS D1.1 structural steel and D1.2 aluminum) are especially welcome. Fundamentals texts are the highest-volume donation from CNM welding students.

Automotive Technology

ASE certification prep guides, automotive electrical systems, engine performance, brake systems, transmission and drivetrain references, emissions control, and diagnostic textbooks. ASE test prep materials are the ones apprentices most often go looking for. Broader automotive texts serve as shop references long after the course ends. I receive these from CNM students and from working technicians upgrading certifications.

Electrical & Plumbing

NEC (National Electrical Code) codebooks are the marquee item here — they update on a three-year cycle, and the current edition is the one every apprentice needs. Electrical theory textbooks, residential and commercial wiring guides, motor controls, and PLC programming references all come through. Plumbing brings pipe fitting, IPC code references, backflow prevention, and drainage system design. Current code books in either trade are especially welcome; older ones still work as shop references.

The common thread across trade textbooks: current certification prep and code books are the ones I most want to see, practical manuals keep working as shop references, and all of it is accepted in any condition. Grease-stained, shop-worn, marked up with field notes — I have seen it all, and none of it gets rejected.

Clearing out after completing your CNM certificate or degree? One text gets the pickup scheduled.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos for pickup

Allied health textbooks — dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, EMT, and more

CNM’s allied health programs are a pipeline for Albuquerque’s healthcare workforce. The textbook demands for these programs are specific, expensive, and heavily clinical. Each program has its own certification exam, and the prep books for those exams are some of the most welcome donations I get.

Dental Hygiene

CNM’s dental hygiene program is competitive to enter and demanding to complete. The textbook load includes dental anatomy, periodontology, radiology, pharmacology, oral pathology, community dental health, and NBDHE board exam prep. Current-edition NBDHE prep books are especially welcome. Older editions of clinical textbooks remain useful for content review, and illustrated dental anatomy references stay useful across several edition cycles.

Respiratory Therapy

Respiratory care textbooks cover pulmonary function testing, mechanical ventilation, neonatal and pediatric respiratory care, pharmacology, and the TMC (Therapist Multiple-Choice) and CSE (Clinical Simulation Exam) board prep materials. TMC exam prep guides go on to students nationwide. Egan’s Fundamentals of Respiratory Care is the standard text and stays useful across editions. Mechanical ventilation references are sought by both students and working therapists.

EMT & Paramedic

Emergency medical services textbooks from CNM’s EMS program include EMT-Basic, Advanced EMT, and Paramedic-level materials. NREMT certification prep guides are especially welcome. Brady and Jones & Bartlett emergency care textbooks are the standard adoption titles. Pharmacology for prehospital care, ECG interpretation, trauma management, and ACLS/PALS provider manuals round out the category. These cycle quickly as protocols update, so bring the current editions in while they are still current.

Medical Assistant, Veterinary Technology & Other Programs

CNM also runs medical assistant, diagnostic medical sonography, sterile processing, and veterinary technology programs. Each produces its own textbook stream, and all of it is welcome: CMA exam prep materials, sonography physics textbooks, veterinary anatomy references. The volumes are smaller than nursing or dental hygiene, but current-edition certification prep from these programs is just as welcome.

Business, IT, and cybersecurity textbooks from CNM

CNM’s business and information technology programs serve a large student population. These are courses where textbook editions cycle frequently, so this term’s editions do the most good when they come in while they are still assigned.

Business textbooks — intro to business, accounting principles, microeconomics, macroeconomics, business law, marketing, management, business statistics — are high-volume donations, and every edition is welcome. This term’s accounting text goes back out to the next student in the course, and one from three editions ago still teaches the same double-entry bookkeeping to a student on a tight budget.

IT and cybersecurity textbooks are welcome in every flavor: CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, and CySA+ study guides, Cisco CCNA and CCNP materials, programming language textbooks (Python, Java, C++), database administration references, and networking fundamentals. Current cert prep is especially welcome, because the exams update periodically and the student studying for this version needs this version’s guide.

For CNM IT students clearing out: bring the whole stack, current cert prep included, along with older editions, supplementary materials, and textbooks from non-cert courses. I sort every title by hand, and current cert guides go back out to the next student studying for the same exam.

Pre-transfer students — the CNM-to-UNM textbook pipeline

A significant portion of CNM’s student body is taking general education courses with the intention of transferring to UNM, New Mexico Tech, or another four-year institution. This creates a textbook cycle that is distinct from the vocational programs: intro-level university-transferable courses in English composition, psychology, biology, chemistry, math, history, sociology, and political science.

These textbooks often overlap with what UNM assigns for the same introductory courses. That overlap is useful: a CNM intro text you finished this term may be exactly the edition an incoming UNM student is assigned next term, which is why current-edition intro books are especially welcome in the donation stream.

For pre-transfer students, the practical move is one trip. The intro texts you are not carrying to UNM, this term’s editions included, plus older editions, supplementary readers, course packets, and workbooks with completed exercises — donation through NMLP removes the entire pile in one step. Free pickup or the 24/7 drop box.

If you are transferring to UNM and want to understand the textbook landscape there, the UNM textbook donations page covers that campus in the same depth. And for every campus in the metro, the general textbook donation page has the full picture.

Transferring from CNM? Let me take the textbooks you are not bringing with you.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos for pickup

End-of-semester timing at CNM

CNM operates on a more complex academic calendar than a traditional university. In addition to the standard sixteen-week fall and spring semesters, CNM runs eight-week terms, twelve-week terms, and summer sessions. That means textbook surplus does not come in just two waves per year — it comes in a more continuous stream with peaks in May, July, August, and December.

The biggest surges are still May (spring semester end and commencement) and December (fall semester end). These are when the highest volume of textbooks becomes available, and when the route calendar fills fastest, so text early. But the eight-week and twelve-week term endings in March, June, August, and October produce meaningful secondary peaks, especially from nursing and allied health programs that run on accelerated schedules.

For a detailed breakdown of seasonal textbook timing and what each point in the calendar means for a donation, the end-of-semester textbook guide covers all the angles.

The practical point: do not wait for a specific date on the calendar. The 24/7 drop box is always available, and free pickups can be scheduled any time by texting 505-250-3804. If you have textbooks you no longer need, the best time to donate them is now, not at the end of next semester when they are one edition older.

The 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE — ten minutes from CNM Main Campus

The drop box sits at my warehouse at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, in the North Valley near Edith and Montano. It is a covered, waterproof box outside the gate, close to the road — no code, no appointment needed. Drive up, drop your books in the box, and leave. It takes about as long as driving to the CNM Bookstore and finding parking, except the drop box is never closed, never has a line, and never rejects anything based on condition or edition.

From CNM Main Campus near University and Coal, head north on I-25 and exit at Montano, then west to Edith and left (south) a block — about ten minutes. From Montoya Campus near Comanche, it is roughly the same distance heading north on Edith. From the Westside Campus on Universe Blvd NW, cross the river via Montano or Paseo del Norte and head east. From the South Valley Campus on Isleta, take I-25 north — about fifteen minutes. From Rio Rancho, take NM-528 south to I-25, then Montano — twenty to twenty-five minutes.

The box accommodates everything from a couple of textbooks to several boxes of materials. For very large donations that will not fit in the box — a department cleanout, a faculty retirement collection, anything over about four boxes — text 505-250-3804 to set up a free pickup, or bring the load between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., when someone at the warehouse can help unload and take it all inside. Please don’t leave anything beside the box.

Books are collected from the box and brought inside regularly. Thousands of books have come through the drop box since I opened. For more details, photos, and directions, there is a dedicated 24/7 book drop page.

Free pickup — how it works for CNM students, faculty, and staff

If you do not want to drive to the drop box, I come to you. Free pickup from anywhere in the Albuquerque metro — CNM campuses, student apartments, faculty offices, homes, wherever the books are. The process is simple:

  1. Text 505-250-3804 with photos of your books and your address.
  2. I reply with a pickup window. Tell me your timeline — especially around finals — and I’ll do my best to fit you in as soon as my schedule allows.
  3. Set the books out wherever is convenient — front porch, apartment lobby, office, loading dock. You do not need to be present if the books are accessible.
  4. I pick up everything. No sorting, no boxing, no condition screening.

No minimum quantity. I will pick up a single textbook or a car trunk full. For larger collections — a full bookshelf, a retiring instructor’s office, a department reorganization — the same process applies, just with a slightly larger vehicle on my end.

For the full details on how the pickup service operates, routes, and scheduling, the free book pickup page has everything.

Anywhere in the Albuquerque metro. Free, no minimum, any condition.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos for pickup

Skip the CNM Bookstore buyback line — one trip clears the stack

End-of-term week at CNM is crowded enough without an extra stop at a buyback counter. You can skip that step entirely and hand off every book in one trip.

This term’s required books are especially welcome. The nursing, allied health, business, and IT titles on the current adoption list are the ones next term’s class will be shopping for, and reselling them is how the free pickups get paid for.

Everything else rides along: older editions, supplementary materials, trade manuals, workbooks with completed exercises, course packets, GED prep materials, textbooks from programs with small enrollment. A buyback counter works from a short list of titles; the drop box takes every book you have, any hour of any day.

NMLP operates on a completely different model. I never pay for textbooks — this is a donation operation with free pickup and a 24/7 drop box. What you get instead: I accept everything in any condition, I come to you anywhere in the metro, I operate year-round, and nothing usable gets thrown away. The books students are still buying go through Amazon and eBay channels that fund the pickup operation. Most children’s books I receive are given away free to Little Free Libraries and community literacy partners.

The practical approach: one step. Text for a pickup or drive to the drop box, and the whole pile, current editions included, is handled. For every campus in the metro, the guide to donating textbooks in Albuquerque covers drop-off and pickup in one place.

Faculty and department cleanouts at CNM

CNM instructors accumulate textbooks in a way that is different from university faculty. Community college instructors often teach high-enrollment sections across multiple courses, which means they receive review copies from publishers at a higher rate. Over years or decades, that adds up to substantial office libraries — multiple editions of the same text, sample copies from competing publishers, supplementary instructor editions, test banks, and reference works.

When an instructor retires, changes positions, or when a department reorganizes office space, that accumulated library needs to go somewhere. I handle the entire process: come to the office, take everything, and do all the sorting at the warehouse. No pre-sorting needed, no condition screening, no appointment scheduling hassle for the department admin.

For department-level cleanouts involving multiple offices — something that happens regularly when CNM reassigns space or consolidates programs — I coordinate directly with the department chair or administrative staff. One text to 505-250-3804 gets the conversation started.

Instructor review copies, desk copies, and examination copies deserve a specific mention. Publishers send these at no charge to encourage textbook adoption. They are often stamped as such, and I take them. Where resale channels allow review copies, they enter the resale stream; otherwise they go to community distribution. Either way, they are out of your office.

Faculty office or department cleanout? I handle the whole collection.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos for pickup

GED, adult education, and developmental education materials

CNM is one of the largest providers of GED preparation and adult basic education in New Mexico. The South Valley Campus and Main Campus both serve substantial adult learner populations, many of whom are first-generation students navigating educational materials for the first time. The textbook and material needs for these programs are distinct from the credit-bearing courses.

GED prep materials — the official GED Testing Service guides, Kaplan and Princeton Review prep books, subject-specific study guides for math, science, social studies, and language arts — cycle as the GED test format updates. Current-format prep books are especially welcome, because GED students need the version that matches today’s test. Older-format materials still serve as supplementary practice resources, especially for the math and language arts portions where the underlying skills have not changed even if the test structure has.

Developmental education textbooks — the courses CNM catalogs as foundational or pre-college-level in math and English — round out this category. These are high in community utility. The readable ones I try to rehome where I can — Little Free Libraries and adult learners who can use them; copies beyond use are recycled.

ESL (English as a Second Language) materials from CNM’s language programs also fall here. Grammar workbooks, conversation guides, TOEFL prep, and level-graded readers are all accepted. The Albuquerque metro has a significant ESL learner population, and usable materials find homes quickly through my community distribution network.

Dual-credit high school students at CNM

Thousands of Albuquerque-area high school students take dual-credit courses through CNM every year. They earn both high school and college credit simultaneously, which means they end up with the same textbooks used in the corresponding CNM courses. When the semester ends, families are often unsure what to do with them. If the high school issued the books and expects them back, return them there; the ones your family bought and no longer needs are welcome here.

Parents end up with stacks of college textbooks in their teenagers’ rooms. The books are perfectly good — the same editions assigned in CNM classrooms, often this term’s — and they can reach the next student instead of sitting on a shelf.

NMLP accepts all dual-credit textbooks through the same channels as any other donation. The 24/7 drop box or a free pickup — both work. For parents who want more context on how the donation process works and where the books go, the complete guide to donating books in Albuquerque has the full picture.

Where your CNM textbooks go after donation

Every donation gets sorted by hand at the warehouse. Here is the routing:

Resale Channels

Textbooks students are still buying — nursing, allied health, IT certification prep, current-edition trade manuals, recent business texts — go on Amazon or eBay. This revenue funds the free pickup operation, the warehouse, and the community distribution programs. Without the resale income, the free pickup service would not exist.

Community literacy partners

Age-appropriate books and classroom-relevant materials route to community literacy partners across the metro. Science texts, supplementary readers, and reference materials are the titles most often requested.

community literacy partners & Little Free Libraries

Children’s books, young adult titles, and general-interest reading materials route to the community literacy partners and to Little Free Libraries across the Albuquerque metro. These channels serve readers who need books most — kids in reading programs and neighborhood residents without convenient library access.

Pulp Recycler

Only books that are genuinely beyond use — water-damaged, moldy, structurally destroyed — go to a regional pulp recycler. The paper gets reclaimed and re-enters the manufacturing stream. Nothing usable gets thrown away. This is the last-resort destination, and it handles a small percentage of total volume.

This model is why NMLP can accept everything in any condition with no minimum and no sorting requirements. Every book finds an appropriate destination. For more detail on how the operation works and why it is structured as a for-profit rather than a nonprofit, the about page has the full explanation.

Every book finds a destination. None of them is the landfill.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos for pickup

Transparency: NMLP is for-profit, not nonprofit

I want to be clear about what you are donating to. The New Mexico Literacy Project is a for-profit business. Donations to NMLP are not tax-deductible. I am not a 501(c)(3) charity, and I do not issue donation receipts for tax purposes.

The for-profit structure is what makes the operation sustainable. Revenue from reselling donated books funds the free pickup service and the warehouse. A nonprofit model would require grant writing, board governance, and donor management — overhead that would consume resources better spent actually moving books. The for-profit model lets me focus entirely on logistics: getting books from people who do not want them to people and institutions that do.

If you need a tax deduction for your textbook donation, the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Public Library system and Goodwill both accept books and can provide receipts. Both have condition restrictions that I do not, and neither offers free pickup to individual donors. The trade-off is clear: tax deduction with more restrictions, or maximum convenience with no deduction.

NMLP has 5.0 stars on Google and works with La Vida Llena retirement community for regular book donations. The track record is public and verifiable. If you have questions about how the business works, the about page has the complete picture, or you can call me directly at 505-250-3804.

Frequently asked questions about CNM textbook donations

Where can I donate CNM textbooks in Albuquerque?
I accept CNM textbooks in any condition. You can use the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107 — about ten minutes from CNM Main Campus heading north on I-25. Or text 505-250-3804 with photos and your address for free pickup anywhere in the metro, including all five CNM campuses. No minimum, no sorting required, no appointment for the drop box.
Does NMLP accept CNM nursing textbooks?
Yes, and nursing textbooks are some of the books I most want to see. CNM’s nursing program is one of the largest in the state, and the textbooks — NCLEX prep materials, pharmacology, anatomy atlases, clinical manuals, pathophysiology, and fundamentals of nursing — are welcome in any edition, this term’s included. Prior editions come too, because core clinical content stays relevant across edition changes. Every title is sorted by hand, and the ones nursing students are looking for are resold to fund the free pickups.
Are CNM textbook donations tax-deductible?
No. NMLP is a for-profit business, not a nonprofit. Donations to me are not tax-deductible. The trade-off: I accept everything in any condition, offer free pickup with no minimum, and my 24/7 drop box is always open. No sorting, no appointment, no rejection. If you need a tax deduction, the Albuquerque Public Library system and Goodwill both accept books and can provide receipts — though both have condition restrictions I do not.
Do you pick up textbooks from all five CNM campuses?
Yes. Free pickup from CNM Main Campus near University and Coal, Montoya Campus near I-25 and Comanche, Westside Campus on Universe Blvd NW, South Valley Campus on Isleta, and Rio Rancho Campus on Broadmoor. I also pick up from student apartments and homes near any campus. Text 505-250-3804 with your address and a photo of the books.
What happens to donated CNM textbooks?
Every donation gets sorted by hand. Textbooks that are still being assigned go on Amazon or eBay — that revenue funds the free pickup operation. Children’s books and age-appropriate materials route to community literacy partners and Little Free Libraries across the metro. Readable books that aren’t headed for resale go through other distribution channels. Only books that are genuinely beyond use go to a regional pulp recycler. Nothing usable gets thrown away.
Can I donate this term’s CNM textbooks, or only old ones?
This term’s are welcome, and they are some of the most useful books I get. Donating means one drop-off for the whole stack: current and older editions, nursing and IT titles, trade manuals, GED materials, electives, and course packets all come in together, and every box gets sorted by hand so each book reaches its next student. I never pay for books; resale of the donated ones is what keeps the pickups free. For every campus in the metro, see my guide to donating textbooks in Albuquerque.
Do you accept HVAC, welding, and automotive textbooks from CNM?
Yes. Trade and vocational program textbooks from CNM are accepted in any condition. HVAC manuals, welding certification prep, automotive repair guides, electrical code books, and plumbing references all come through regularly. Current EPA 608 study guides, NEC codebooks, and ASE certification materials are especially welcome, and older manuals serve as practical references for tradespeople. I sort and route each title by hand.
How close is the 24/7 drop box to CNM Main Campus?
About ten minutes heading north on I-25 to the Montano exit, or straight up Edith Blvd through the neighborhoods. The covered drop box sits outside the gate, near the road, at 5445 Edith Blvd NE. No lock, no appointment: drop your books in any time — day, night, weekends, holidays. If the box is full, text 505-250-3804 or come between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., when someone can take them in.
When is the best time to donate CNM textbooks?
The biggest surges are May and December, but CNM’s eight-week and twelve-week terms create secondary peaks throughout the year. I accept donations year-round. The 24/7 drop box is always available, and pickups can be scheduled any time by texting 505-250-3804. The best time to donate is whenever you no longer need the books — do not wait for them to become one more edition older.
Do you accept GED and adult education textbooks?
Yes. GED prep materials, adult basic education workbooks, ESL textbooks, and developmental education materials are all accepted. Current-format GED prep books are especially welcome. Older-format materials still serve as supplementary practice resources. ESL materials find homes quickly through my community distribution network given the significant ESL learner population in the Albuquerque metro.
What condition do CNM textbooks need to be in for donation?
Any condition. Highlighted, dog-eared, spine-cracked, water-stained, missing the cover, written in, marked up with shop grease or clinical notes — all accepted. Trade textbooks with job-site wear, nursing texts with margin annotations, workbooks with completed exercises — all welcome. Loose-leaf editions, lab manuals, study guides, and books missing their access codes are fine too. Readable books go to readers. Damaged-beyond-reading books go to my paper recycler. Either way, they stay out of the landfill.
Does NMLP accept dental hygiene and respiratory therapy textbooks?
Yes. Allied health textbooks from CNM’s dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, EMT/paramedic, medical assistant, and other programs are all accepted. Certification prep books are especially welcome — NBDHE for dental hygiene, TMC for respiratory therapy, and NREMT for paramedics — current editions included.
I am a CNM instructor clearing out my office — can you pick up the whole collection?
Yes. Faculty office cleanouts, department reorganizations, and instructor retirements are a regular part of what I do. Instructor collections often contain desk copies, review copies, multiple editions, and reference works accumulated over years. I handle the entire collection — no sorting needed on your end. For department-level cleanouts involving multiple offices, I coordinate with your administrative staff. Text 505-250-3804.
Should I take my CNM books to the bookstore buyback first?
You don’t need to. Donate the whole stack in one step, this term’s required texts included; nothing gets turned away for edition or condition. Nothing is bought or paid for here: NMLP is a donation operation with free pickup, funded by reselling what people donate. Everything in any condition is accepted, I come to you anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, and the 24/7 drop box never closes.
Do you accept dual-credit high school student textbooks?
Yes. Many Albuquerque-area high school students take dual-credit courses through CNM and end up with college textbooks at home. If the high school issued them and wants them back, return them there; the ones your family bought are welcome here, current editions included, through the same donation pathways as any CNM textbook. The 24/7 drop box or a free pickup are both available. Text 505-250-3804 with photos and an address.
Can I donate just a couple of CNM textbooks or do you need a large collection?
No minimum. I will pick up a single textbook or a car-full. For one or two books, the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE is the fastest option — drive up, drop off, done. For larger collections, text 505-250-3804 for free pickup. Small pickups ride along on whichever metro route is closest; scheduling is by route.
Do you accept cybersecurity and IT textbooks from CNM?
Yes. CompTIA certification guides (A+, Network+, Security+), Cisco CCNA materials, programming textbooks, database administration references, and cybersecurity fundamentals are all welcome. Current-edition certification prep is especially welcome because the exams update periodically, and prior-edition materials still serve as study supplements. Each title gets sorted by hand and sent where it will actually be used.

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Ready to clear the shelf?

Text 505-250-3804 with photos of your CNM textbooks. Free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, or use the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE. No minimum, no sorting, no condition requirements. Nursing, trades, allied health, business, IT, GED — all of it.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos Schedule pickup