Medical & Nursing Textbook Donations in Albuquerque

Last verified May 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. A single anatomy atlas or pharmacology text can cost well over a hundred dollars new. 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 might hold value for years, medical textbooks depreciate 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treatment protocols change, diagnostic criteria are updated, and the textbook that was current last year may already be outdated.

This creates a particular set of challenges for students and professionals trying to figure out what to do with their medical and nursing textbooks. Some have genuine resale value. Some have value only as donation material for community programs. Some are outdated to the point where even donating them requires careful thought about whether the information could mislead a reader. I sort through all of this, and this page explains the full landscape so you can make an informed decision.

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 hold moderate resale value 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 and evaluation, that is the most efficient approach. One call, one pickup. See my CNM textbook donation guide for specifics.

Which Medical and Nursing Textbooks Have Resale Value

Not all medical textbooks are created equal in the resale market. Here is an honest breakdown of the major categories, the specific titles that matter, and what affects their value.

Anatomy Atlases and Anatomy Textbooks

Anatomy is the most stable category in medical textbook resale. Human anatomy does not change, so older editions of anatomy atlases retain value 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 command strong resale prices, and even editions that are one or two generations behind hold meaningful value 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 has a broad national market. Gray's Anatomy for Students (the modern student edition, not the classic reference) also maintains consistent demand.

Pharmacology Textbooks

Pharmacology is the fastest-depreciating category in medical textbook resale. 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 buyers 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 have high retail prices and strong resale demand when current. The moment a new edition drops, however, the previous edition's market collapses 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, expensive books with strong resale markets when current. Pathology updates more slowly than pharmacology but faster than anatomy, placing it in a middle ground for depreciation. A one-edition-old Robbins still has moderate resale value; two editions back, and the value drops substantially.

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 hold value longer than pharmacology texts but not as long as anatomy atlases.

Microbiology Textbooks

Medical microbiology texts occupy the middle of the depreciation 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 have meaningful educational value and moderate resale demand.

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 command strong resale prices because they are expensive to buy new and every incoming med-surg student needs one. The problem is that these titles update regularly, and once a program adopts the new edition, the previous edition's demand disappears locally. National online demand may persist slightly longer, which is where my evaluation takes into account channels beyond 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, which creates consistent demand for current editions. The evaluation pattern mirrors med-surg: current editions have strong value, one edition back has moderate value, two editions back has minimal value.

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 account for condition in my evaluations but I do not reject books simply because they show signs of use. A heavily highlighted Potter and Perry still has content value even if its resale value is reduced.

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 drives the edition cycle's impact on value. 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 I Evaluate Edition Currency

When you text me a medical textbook, the first thing I check is the edition and when it was published. Then I check whether a newer edition exists or has been announced. Here is the general framework I use.

• Current edition, within its cycle — Strong resale value. This is the sweet spot. The book is what programs are currently assigning, and buyers are actively looking for it.
• Current edition, late in its cycle — Moderate resale value with risk. If a new edition is expected soon, the window for selling at a good price is closing. I flag this so you can decide quickly.
• One edition behind — Reduced resale value. Some national demand may exist from students who cannot afford the current edition or from programs that have not yet adopted the new one. Anatomy and physiology texts hold up better here than pharmacology texts.
• Two or more editions behind — Minimal to no resale value. The book still has teaching value, so I try to rehome it where I can rather than discard it.

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 Medical Textbook Value

• Light highlighting and occasional margin notes — Minimal impact on value. Most medical textbook buyers expect some annotation and are fine with it. This is the normal condition for a used medical textbook.
• Heavy highlighting throughout — Moderate impact on value. When every page is covered in multiple colors of highlighter, it becomes distracting for the next reader. The book still has value, but it is reduced.
• Extensive margin notes and written annotations — Variable impact. Neat, relevant clinical notes can actually be seen as a feature by some buyers. Illegible scribbling reduces value more significantly.
• Sticky tabs on every other page — No impact on value. Tabs can be removed. This is cosmetic and does not affect my evaluation.
• Water damage, torn pages, or broken binding — Significant impact. Structural damage that affects readability or completeness reduces a book to donation-only value regardless of the title or edition.
• Missing pages or supplementary materials — Significant impact. A textbook missing its index, appendices, or bundled materials is incomplete and valued accordingly.

The bottom line on condition: be honest about it when you text me photos. If the book is heavily annotated, say so. If there is water damage on a section, mention it. I assess based on what I see when the book arrives, and I would rather set accurate expectations upfront than have an awkward conversation at the warehouse. 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 lack value — some medical equipment has strong resale potential — but because the operation is built around book evaluation, storage, and resale. I do not have the infrastructure or expertise to evaluate clinical equipment.

For medical equipment, your best options in Albuquerque include UNM's surplus property office, local medical supply donation programs, and direct sale through Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Stethoscopes in particular hold their value well and are easy to sell 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 us 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.

I have handled hospital library deaccessions before and the process 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.

The materials from hospital libraries are a mixed bag in terms of resale value. Some clinical references are current and valuable. Many are outdated for clinical use but have educational or historical value. Bound journal volumes are generally not resalable but can be 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 702-496-4214. 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.

The resale market for international editions is complicated. Some platforms restrict their sale, and many buyers are cautious about content differences between international and domestic editions. Amazon in particular has policies around international editions that can affect listing options. The result is that international editions of medical textbooks typically sell for less than their domestic equivalents, even when the content is the same.

I accept international editions and evaluate them honestly. If your international edition Netter Atlas has resale value, I will tell you. 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 evaluates and routes used books including medical and nursing textbooks. I provide honest evaluations based on current market data, resell the books with market value, 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 for donations because donations are not tax-deductible. 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