Medical & Nursing Textbook Donations in Albuquerque

Last verified September 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

Medical Textbooks Are Different

The New Mexico Literacy Project is a one-person book operation run by Josh Eldred from a warehouse at 5445 Edith Blvd NE in Albuquerque's North Valley. I handle book donations of every kind, but medical and nursing textbooks occupy a unique category that deserves its own conversation.

Medical textbooks are expensive, and nursing students at CNM or UNM routinely spend more on textbooks per semester than students in almost any other program. And unlike a novel or a history textbook that stays current for years, medical textbooks date on a timeline driven by clinical practice — new drugs get approved, treatment protocols change, diagnostic criteria are updated, and the textbook that was current last year may already be outdated.

The answer for your medical and nursing textbooks is simpler than it looks: donate all of them. This semester’s pharmacology text, last month’s NCLEX review, the first-year anatomy atlas, the drug guide that’s two editions old — I take the whole stack, sort it by hand, and send each book where it will be used. Current editions go straight back to the next class of students; older ones are rehomed where they can still teach, and anything too outdated to be safe goes to paper recycling. This page walks through how that works for each program and each kind of book.

UNM College of Nursing graduate clearing out four years of accumulated textbooks? CNM nursing student moving between clinical rotations? UNM School of Medicine student who just matched for residency? Retiring physician whose office shelves are full of reference materials that no longer see daily use? — this guide covers your situation.

CNM Nursing Program: The Largest Nursing Pipeline in New Mexico

Central New Mexico Community College operates one of the largest nursing programs in the state. The CNM nursing program produces a high volume of ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) graduates who go on to take the NCLEX-RN and enter the workforce or continue to a BSN program. This pipeline creates a steady, predictable flow of nursing textbooks that need new homes every semester.

CNM nursing students face an interesting textbook dynamic. The program is shorter than a four-year BSN, so the textbook accumulation is more compressed — students acquire most of their core nursing textbooks within a two-year window. The titles are largely the same as what UNM nursing students use: fundamentals of nursing, medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology, and the specialty rotation texts. The difference is timing. CNM cohorts cycle through faster, which means there is a more frequent turnover of textbooks and a more constant demand for used copies.

NCLEX prep materials are a particularly important category for CNM graduates. The Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN, Kaplan NCLEX-RN Prep, and ATI review packages are purchased by virtually every graduating nursing student. These materials have a built-in expiration: once you pass (or fail) the NCLEX, you either no longer need them or you need updated versions. Current editions of NCLEX prep materials are especially welcome because the next cohort of graduates needs them, and new editions come out regularly.

I work with individual CNM nursing students and with cohort groups. If your graduating class wants to pool textbooks for a single pickup, that is the most efficient approach. One call, one pickup. See my CNM textbook donation guide for specifics.

Medical and Nursing Textbooks I Take, Category by Category

Every category below is welcome, and current editions most of all: the pharmacology text still on this semester’s syllabus, the NCLEX review book you finished last week, the med-surg hardcover the next cohort is about to buy. All of it, free, any condition. Here is how each category is used after it comes in, with the titles I see most often.

Anatomy Atlases and Anatomy Textbooks

Anatomy is the most stable category of medical textbook. Human anatomy does not change, so older editions of anatomy atlases stay useful longer than almost any other medical textbook category. The key titles in this space are well known to every medical and nursing student.

Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy is the gold standard for medical illustration. Frank Netter's original paintings are iconic, and every edition builds on that visual foundation. Current editions are especially welcome, and editions one or two generations behind still go to good use because the anatomical content remains accurate.

Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy takes a different approach, integrating clinical applications with anatomical instruction. It is widely required across medical and nursing programs and is used across the country. Gray's Anatomy for Students (the modern student edition, not the classic reference) is just as welcome.

Pharmacology Textbooks

Pharmacology is the fastest-changing category of medical textbook. New drugs are approved every year, existing drugs get new indications or black box warnings, dosing guidelines change, and the pharmacological landscape shifts continuously. A pharmacology textbook that is two editions behind may contain drug information that is no longer clinically accurate, and students know this.

Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics is the comprehensive reference, used primarily by pharmacy and medical students. Katzung's Basic and Clinical Pharmacology is the standard teaching text for pharmacology courses. Both are especially welcome when current, because the moment a new edition is assigned, students move to it faster than in almost any other subject.

For nursing students, pharmacology texts like Lehne's Pharmacology for Nursing Care and the various nursing-focused pharmacology titles follow the same pattern. The clinical information changes fast, which means edition currency matters enormously.

Pathology Textbooks

Robbins Basic Pathology and Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease are the standard pathology references for medical students. These are hefty books, and a current-edition Robbins is one of the most welcome things a medical student can drop off. Pathology updates more slowly than pharmacology but faster than anatomy, so a one-edition-old Robbins still reaches a student; two editions back, it is more likely headed to a community reading shelf.

Physiology Textbooks

Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology has been the standard physiology text for decades. Physiology, like anatomy, changes relatively slowly in its foundational concepts. The mechanisms of cardiac electrophysiology, renal filtration, and neural transmission do not change between editions. What changes are the clinical applications, the research references, and the digital resources. This means physiology texts stay current longer than pharmacology texts but not as long as anatomy atlases.

Microbiology Textbooks

Medical microbiology texts sit in the middle of the edition-change spectrum. Core microbiology — the organisms, the mechanisms of pathogenesis, the immune response — changes slowly. But antimicrobial resistance patterns, vaccine schedules, and emerging infectious diseases update regularly. Current editions are important for clinical accuracy, but one-edition-old microbiology texts still teach well and still find students.

Medical-Surgical Nursing Textbooks

Medical-surgical nursing is the heavyweight category for nursing students. These are the largest, most expensive nursing textbooks, and they are required for the core med-surg courses that form the backbone of every nursing program. Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing and Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing are the two most widely adopted titles.

Current editions of these texts are some of the most welcome nursing donations, because every incoming med-surg student needs one. These titles update regularly, and once a program adopts the new edition, local students move to it; students elsewhere may keep using the previous one a while longer, which is why I list through national channels, not just the local Albuquerque market.

Fundamentals of Nursing Textbooks

Potter and Perry's Fundamentals of Nursing and Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing are the two dominant titles in introductory nursing courses. Every first-semester nursing student buys one of these, so a current edition always has a next reader. The pattern mirrors med-surg: current editions go straight back to students, one edition back still finds some, and two editions back usually head to community shelves or recycling.

These books tend to be in rough condition by the time students are done with them. Fundamentals courses involve heavy studying, extensive highlighting, and frequent reference. I sort for condition, but I do not reject books simply because they show signs of use. A heavily highlighted Potter and Perry still teaches fundamentals, and it is still welcome.

Edition Currency: Why It Matters More in Medical Fields

Edition currency matters in every academic subject, but it matters disproportionately in medical and nursing textbooks for a reason that goes beyond publisher marketing. In most humanities and social science courses, the difference between the 8th and 9th edition of an introduction to psychology textbook is rearranged chapters, updated statistics, and new photographs. The core knowledge is stable. A student using the previous edition can still learn the material effectively.

In medical fields, the difference between editions can be clinically significant. A pharmacology text that does not include a recently approved drug class is missing information that a student will need on the NCLEX and in clinical practice. A pathology text that does not reflect updated diagnostic criteria may teach students an outdated approach. A drug guide that lists a medication at an old dosage could theoretically contribute to a medication error if a student relies on it uncritically.

This clinical significance is why edition currency decides where a book goes. When a nursing program adopts the new edition of a med-surg textbook, it is not arbitrary. There are usually concrete clinical updates that justify the change. And once the program switches, every student in that program needs the new edition, which eliminates local demand for the old one.

How Edition Currency Shapes Where a Book Goes

When a medical textbook comes in, the first thing I check at the warehouse is the edition and when it was published, then whether a newer edition exists or has been announced. You don’t need to do any of this before donating; here is the framework I sort by.

• Current edition, within its cycle — Straight back to students. This is what programs are currently assigning, so it goes to the next student who needs it, and that resale is what funds the free pickups.
• Current edition, late in its cycle — Listed first. If a new edition is expected soon, the window is closing, so these go out before anything else.
• One edition behind — Often still goes to a student. Some students use the prior edition to save money, and some programs have not yet adopted the new one. Anatomy and physiology texts hold up better here than pharmacology texts.
• Two or more editions behind — Rehomed or recycled. The book still has teaching value, so I try to rehome it where I can rather than discard it; clinically outdated drug references go to paper recycling.

Condition: Medical Textbooks Get Used Hard

A word on condition, because medical and nursing textbooks tend to show more wear than textbooks in most other fields. This is not because medical students are careless. It is because medical education is intensive, and these books get used the way they are meant to be used.

A nursing student studying for a med-surg exam is going to highlight passages. A medical student memorizing anatomy is going to tab pages, write margin notes, and underline key structures. A pharmacology student is going to annotate drug classes, draw arrows between related concepts, and flag high-yield content for board exams. This is what learning looks like in health sciences, and the textbooks reflect that reality.

How Condition Affects Where a Medical Textbook Goes

• Light highlighting and occasional margin notes — Normal. Most students expect some annotation in a used medical textbook and are fine with it.
• Heavy highlighting throughout — Still welcome. When every page is covered in multiple colors of highlighter, it can distract the next reader, so these more often go to study groups and community shelves.
• Extensive margin notes and written annotations — Variable. Neat, relevant clinical notes can actually be a feature for the next student. Illegible scribbling makes a book harder to pass along, but it is still welcome.
• Sticky tabs on every other page — No effect. Tabs can be removed. This is cosmetic and does not affect where the book goes.
• Water damage, torn pages, or broken binding — Changes the route. Structural damage that affects readability or completeness usually sends a book to community shelves or paper recycling, whatever the title or edition. Bring it anyway.
• Missing pages or supplementary materials — Changes the route. A textbook missing its index, appendices, or bundled materials is incomplete and gets routed accordingly. Still welcome.

The bottom line on condition: none of it stops a donation. Heavily annotated, water-stained in one section, missing a supplement — bring it anyway. Every book is sorted by hand when it arrives, and the ones no student can use go to paper recycling. A well-used medical textbook is not a bad textbook — it is a textbook that did its job.

Lab Coats, Stethoscopes, and Medical Equipment: What I Do Not Take

A word on this directly, because it comes up regularly. Medical and nursing students accumulate more than just textbooks. By graduation, you may also have lab coats, scrubs, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, otoscope-ophthalmoscope kits, dissection kits, and various other clinical supplies.

NMLP handles books only. I do not accept lab coats, stethoscopes, scrubs, medical instruments, or any kind of clinical equipment. This is not because those items aren't useful, but because the operation is built around book sorting, storage, and resale. I do not have the infrastructure or expertise to handle clinical equipment.

For medical equipment, look for a local medical supply donation program, or hand it down to a classmate or the next cohort; a stethoscope or blood pressure cuff is easy to pass along peer-to-peer.

What I do take: all of your textbooks, study guides, clinical manuals, drug reference books, NCLEX prep books, flashcard sets, and any other printed educational materials. Bring me the books. Find another channel for the equipment.

Hospital Library Deaccessions

Hospital libraries are a significant but often overlooked source of medical textbook donations. UNM Hospital, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Lovelace Health System, and other healthcare facilities in the Albuquerque metro maintain medical libraries that serve their clinical staff, residents, and students. As these institutions increasingly rely on digital databases like UpToDate, DynaMed, and institutional journal subscriptions, the physical library collections become redundant.

Hospital library deaccessions are fundamentally different from individual student textbook donations. The volumes are larger — I am talking about hundreds or thousands of books rather than a handful. The materials span a wider range: clinical references, specialty textbooks, bound journal volumes, continuing education materials, and institutional copies of standard references. And the logistics require coordination with hospital facilities management, which means scheduling around clinical operations, patient areas, and security protocols.

A hospital library deaccession is not complicated, but it does require more planning than picking up a nursing student's textbook collection. I schedule during off-peak hours, arrange enough transport capacity, and move efficiently through the library space. The hospital's facilities team typically needs to approve the timing and logistics, and I work within whatever constraints they set.

Hospital library materials are a mixed bag, and all of it is welcome. Some clinical references are current and go straight back to students and clinicians. Many are outdated for clinical use but still have educational or historical interest. Bound journal volumes are rehomed where I can. I sort everything at the warehouse and route each item to the appropriate channel — resale, community donation, or recycling.

If you are a hospital librarian, facilities manager, or department head managing a library deaccession at any Albuquerque-area healthcare facility, call me at 505-250-3804. I will walk through the logistics with you and build a plan that works within your facility's constraints.

International Editions of Medical Textbooks

International editions are common in medical education because students look for any way to reduce textbook costs, and international editions of expensive medical textbooks can be substantially cheaper. These editions are typically printed on thinner paper with lower-quality binding and may have different cover art, but the core content is usually identical or nearly identical to the domestic edition.

International editions are welcome, though they take a different route. Some platforms restrict their sale, and some students are cautious about content differences between international and domestic editions, so more of them are rehomed than resold, even when the content is the same.

I accept international editions. If an international edition Netter Atlas has resale demand, it is resold; if it does not, I try to rehome it where I can — the anatomical illustrations have the same educational value regardless of which edition or printing they came from. Either way, your book gets handled rather than discarded.

Setting Expectations: What This Is and What This Is Not

Here are the boundaries of what NMLP does, so there are no misunderstandings.

What NMLP is: A for-profit book operation that sorts and routes donated books, including medical and nursing textbooks. I resell the books with market demand and try to rehome the rest where I can. NMLP holds a 5-star rating on Google and works with the La Vida Llena retirement community on book pickups.

What NMLP is not: A nonprofit, a charity, or a tax-deductible donation destination. I am not a medical equipment reseller. I do not provide tax receipts because donations are not tax-deductible; a written acknowledgment (date and approximate quantity) is available on request. I am honest about this from the first conversation.

What I accept: Textbooks, study guides, reference books, clinical manuals, drug guides, NCLEX prep materials, flashcard sets, and any other printed medical or nursing educational materials in any condition.

What I do not accept: Lab coats, stethoscopes, scrubs, medical instruments, clinical equipment, anatomical models, or anything that is not a book or printed material.

Related Guides