Spring in Albuquerque and Your Bookshelves

There is something about a New Mexico spring that makes you want to open every window, let the desert air move through the house, and finally deal with the things you've been ignoring since October. The cottonwoods are leafing out along the Rio Grande. The Sandias are turning that particular pink they do in the late afternoon. And somewhere in your home — probably more than one room — there is a shelf, or a stack, or an entire back bedroom's worth of books that you haven't touched since the last time you moved.

I've been doing this work in Albuquerque for years now — buying collections, clearing estates, helping families figure out what to do with a loved one's library. And I'll tell you something I've learned: most people feel genuinely guilty about their books. They don't want to get rid of them because books feel important. Because someone they love gave them those books, or they bought them with good intentions, or they keep thinking they'll finally read that one. The shelf becomes a kind of monument to aspiration, and clearing it feels like admitting defeat.

Here is my reframe: getting a book off your shelf and into someone's hands who will actually read it is not defeat. It is the book doing its job. A novel sitting in a box in your garage for the next decade is not serving anyone. A donated book that ends up in a child's hands at a school in the South Valley — that is what a book is actually for.

This guide is for anyone in the Albuquerque metro who has decided that this spring is finally the year. It is practical and specific. I'll walk you through how to decide what stays and what goes, what is worth keeping out of the trash (and why none of it needs researching before you donate), where to take books in Albuquerque (and what each place will and won't accept), and how to schedule a pickup if carrying boxes is not something you can do right now. I'll also talk about the monsoon deadline — because if you are storing books in a garage or a shed, July is coming faster than you think. If you are spring cleaning because a move is already on the calendar, my guide to getting rid of books fast when moving covers the compressed-timeline version of this process.

Let's get into it.

The Decision Framework: Keep, Donate, or Recycle

The hardest part of clearing a bookshelf is not the carrying. It is the decision-making. Every book you pick up requires a micro-judgment, and after about forty-five minutes most people experience a kind of decision fatigue that sends them back to the couch. The way around that is to have a system before you start — so that when you pick up a book, you are applying a rule, not making a judgment from scratch.

Here is the framework I use with estate clients, and that I recommend to anyone doing a home library cleanout.

The Five-Year Rule

If you have not opened a book in five years, be honest with yourself about whether you ever will. This is not a judgment — it is an acknowledgment of how lives actually work. The five-year window is long enough that it captures books you genuinely return to. If a book has been sitting untouched for five years, the realistic probability that you will read it in the next five years is very low. It goes in the donate pile. No guilt. The book's life is not over — it is just starting a new chapter somewhere else.

Keep: The True Keepers

Books you actually reread. Books with genuine sentimental significance — a grandmother's handwritten annotations, a first edition you received as a meaningful gift, a book that is part of your professional reference library. Books you actively use: cookbooks with your notes in the margins, field guides you take out on hikes, reference books you consult regularly. These stay, full stop.

The Sentimental Value Question

Sentimental value is real, and I am not in the business of telling you to throw away things that matter to you. But there is an important distinction between a book that has sentimental significance and a shelf full of books that you feel vaguely sentimental about as a category. If you say, "I can't get rid of any of these because they were my father's," I'd gently ask: which ones were actually your father's favorites? Which ones did he talk about, reference, love? Those might deserve a special shelf. The forty-year-old paperback thriller he bought at an airport in 1987 and never mentioned — that one can probably go.

Categories That Accumulate and Almost Always Go

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Book club picks. These accumulate rapidly because they are bought on a schedule, often in paperback, and the obligation of having read them is the actual value — not the object. Once the book club discussion is over, these books are almost always reading copies with no special value. Donate freely.
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Textbooks. Unless you are actively teaching in a field where a specific edition is still in use, college and graduate textbooks go out of date quickly. A 1994 economics textbook or a 2003 nursing pharmacology reference is not something a library or donation center can place. The exception: old medical, law, or technical texts from before 1960, which occasionally have collectible appeal. Post-2010 textbooks in good condition can sometimes be sold back through online channels. But the stack from fifteen years ago — let it go.
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Mass-market paperbacks. The standard-size paperback thriller, romance, mystery, or science fiction novel has a wholesale resale value of approximately nothing. This is not a comment on the quality of the writing — it is the economics of the format. These are the books that get printed in runs of hundreds of thousands and end up at thrift stores for fifty cents. Donate them confidently. They are perfect for Little Free Libraries and hospital waiting rooms and anywhere someone needs a book to read without worrying about keeping it.
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Travel guides. A 2009 Lonely Planet Southeast Asia or a 2014 Fodor's Mexico is out of date in every way that makes a travel guide useful — hotels have closed, restaurants have changed, visa rules are different. The only exceptions are genuinely historical travel writing (not guidebooks) or extremely specialized regional guides for areas with no current equivalents. Everything else goes.
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Encyclopedias and sets. I know. They look impressive. They represent a real investment someone made, possibly before internet search existed. But encyclopedia sets — Britannica, World Book, Americana — have no resale market and most donation centers cannot take them. They recycle as paper. There are rare exceptions for pre-1900 editions, but the forty-volume set from 1975 in your garage is paper weight at this point.

Once you have sorted into Keep, Donate, and Recycle, you're most of the way there. If a few books give you pause, the next section covers what's worth noticing — and why none of it has to be researched before it goes in the donation box.

Not sure whether a pickup or the drop box makes more sense? Call or text me at 505-250-3804 — I'll help you plan it.

What Might Actually Be Worth Something

Let me be honest with you upfront: most home libraries are not hiding treasure. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say roughly 90% of the books on most residential shelves are reading copies — pleasant, readable, enjoyable books with little to no collector value. That is not a problem. It means they are exactly right for donation, where they will reach new readers. The remaining 10% is worth knowing about, mostly so it doesn't land in the recycling bin by mistake; you don't have to research any of it before donating.

Here are the signs worth noticing as you pack.

Signs Worth Noticing

Worth a Closer Look

✓ Signed by the author, especially with a personal inscription
✓ "First Edition" or "First Printing" on the copyright page
✓ Hardcovers published before 1960
✓ Books from small presses, university presses, or limited edition publishers
✓ Local or regional New Mexico authors and subjects
✓ Books with unusual binding, illustrations, or production quality
✓ Anything that looks notably different from a standard trade book

Almost Always Just Donate

✗ Mass-market paperbacks (small format)
✗ Book club editions (often marked "BCE" or no price on dust jacket)
✗ Modern trade paperbacks of popular titles
✗ Anything with a library discard stamp
✗ Reading copies with heavy wear, underlining, or highlighting
✗ Most post-1990 hardcovers by mid-list authors

New Mexico-Specific Valuable Finds

Albuquerque shelves have something you won't always find in other cities: a natural concentration of New Mexico and Southwest regional material. This is an area where local knowledge matters, and where things that look ordinary to an outside buyer can have genuine significance.

Tony Hillerman

Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee novels have a devoted collector following, and first editions of the early titles — The Blessing Way (1970), Dance Hall of the Dead (1973), Listening Woman (1978) — in dust jacket can be meaningful. If you have signed Hillerman, stop everything and set it aside. Signed firsts in fine condition are a different conversation entirely. Later titles and paperback reading copies are common, but if you have a nice run of hardcovers, it is worth checking.

Rudolfo Anaya

The first edition of Bless Me, Ultima, published by Quinto Sol in 1972, is one of the most significant books in the Chicano literary canon. Even later printings from the small press run have collector interest. Anaya's other works — especially signed or from small Albuquerque publishers — are worth attention. The UNM Press editions are common, but the early independent press material is not.

Southwest Art and Architecture Books

Large-format art books about Pueblo pottery, Navajo weaving, Rio Grande painting, adobe architecture, and related topics can have real value, particularly if they are out of print and were published in small runs. The coffee-table books on Taos Pueblo artists from the 1960s and 1970s, ethnographic studies from the Bureau of American Ethnology, and early Survey of New Mexico publications fall into this category. These are heavy and unglamorous-looking, so don't let them slip into the recycling pile.

Native Studies and Anthropology

Older ethnographic and anthropological works on the Pueblo peoples, the Navajo Nation, and related subjects — especially those published before 1950 by scholarly presses or government agencies — can be collectible, particularly if they contain photographs or fold-out maps. The School of American Research publications, the Museum of New Mexico Press, and early Southwest Museum papers fall here.

Signed Copies by Living New Mexico Authors

New Mexico has an active literary community, and signed copies by authors who still appear at the Bookworks or the Albuquerque Museum are circulating. Signed Barbara Kingsolver (she spent years in Tucson, close enough), signed N. Scott Momaday, signed Pam Houston — these are worth noting. For authors earlier in their careers, signed copies are often more available than people think, but they tend to appreciate.

If you want a more systematic approach to identifying whether a specific book is a first edition, I've written a detailed walkthrough at the first edition identification guide.

The 90/10 rule in practice: You don't have to find the 10% yourself. Keep what you love and let the rest go into the donation boxes as-is: every box that comes to NMLP is sorted by hand at the warehouse, and rare books are researched before they're listed. That is a much faster process than researching everything from scratch.

Donation Options in Albuquerque

Albuquerque has a genuine network of places that want your books — more than most cities its size. The trick is matching the right books to the right place, because each organization has different capacity, different needs, and different restrictions. Here is a rundown of the main options.

NMLP

New Mexico Literacy Project

This is me. I am a for-profit book resale operation based at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A in Albuquerque. I don't buy books from donors — I accept donated books, resell the ones with value to fund the work, and put the rest into the hands of New Mexico readers who need them — kids in underserved schools, adults in literacy programs, communities without easy library access. When you give books to NMLP, they go to work directly in New Mexico.

What I accept: Books in any condition — fiction and nonfiction, children's books (always in high demand), cookbooks, history, biography, science, textbooks, and general interest, plus most media.

Condition: Worn, water-damaged, heavily annotated, and outdated books are all fine. Whatever can't be read again gets paper-recycled, and no book goes to the landfill.

Free pickup service: I offer free pickup in the Albuquerque metro for donations of a box or more. This includes the North Valley, the Heights, the East Side, Nob Hill, the South Valley, Rio Rancho, and surrounding communities. I work around your schedule. If you cannot carry boxes or do not have a vehicle, please reach out — I will figure it out. You can also drop off directly at my Edith Blvd location.

Important note: NMLP is a for-profit business, so books given to me are not tax-deductible. If you need a tax deduction, donate to a qualified 501(c)(3) such as a public library or university. I am happy to help you figure out the right destination. See my year-end donation tax guide for more on how book donations and deductions work.

Albuquerque Public Library — Friends of the Library Book Sales

The Friends of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library run ongoing book sales that support the library system, and they accept book donations at most branch locations. The sales happen periodically throughout the year and are a community institution — longtime Albuquerque residents often have fond memories of finding unexpected things there.

The Friends are generally receptive to fiction, nonfiction, and children's books in good condition. They are selective about condition and have limited storage, so it is worth calling your nearest branch to confirm drop-off hours and current capacity before loading up the car. The Main Library on Copper and the branches in the Heights and Northeast Heights are active drop-off points.

One note: the Friends sales are well-attended and well-priced, which means books you donate there will reach readers. This is a good option if you have a range of popular fiction and general nonfiction in clean condition.

Little Free Libraries Around Albuquerque

Albuquerque has a robust network of Little Free Libraries — the small box libraries installed in front yards and community spaces where anyone can take a book or leave one. You can find registered locations through the Little Free Library map at littlefreelibrary.org, and there are active installations in Nob Hill, the North Valley, the UNM area, the Heights, and numerous residential neighborhoods.

Little Free Libraries are not suited to large-volume donations — they hold maybe fifteen to thirty books at a time — but they are perfect for spreading paperbacks across the community in a low-friction way. If you have a few shelves of popular fiction that are in good condition, spending twenty minutes visiting several Little Free Libraries in your neighborhood is a satisfying way to redistribute them.

A few Albuquerque neighborhoods with particularly active installations: the near North Valley along Alameda, the Ridgecrest and Tijeras area of the Heights, and the blocks around the UNM campus. Children's picture books and chapter books are especially welcomed — they tend to disappear quickly.

University of New Mexico Libraries

UNM has a selective donation policy — the Zimmerman Library and branch libraries accept gifts only when the material fills a genuine gap in the collection. They do not accept unsolicited donations of general fiction, popular nonfiction, or reading copies. If you have academic material in a field where UNM has strong programs — Southwest studies, Latin American and Iberian studies, Native American studies, fine arts — it is worth calling the relevant subject librarian to ask.

The Friends of the UNM Libraries occasionally hold sales and may accept donations through that channel. Check their website for current needs. For most home library spring cleaning, UNM is not a primary destination — direct your energy toward NMLP, the Friends of the Public Library, and the channels below.

Goodwill and Savers

Goodwill and Savers are the right choice when you have a large volume of books that need to move quickly and you are not particular about where they end up. Both accept books at their drop-off locations across Albuquerque, and both will take most items without much scrutiny. Goodwill resells at their retail locations; Savers (on Menaul, among other locations) operates a hybrid model where proceeds support nonprofit partners.

The tradeoff: books donated to Goodwill and Savers go into the general secondhand stream, and they are not specifically directed toward literacy programs or community readers. They are a useful safety valve for overflow — the mass-market paperbacks, the book club reads, the volumes that don't fit anywhere more targeted — but for books you'd like to see serve a direct community purpose, prioritize NMLP or the library Friends.

Goodwill locations in Albuquerque that accept book donations include the store on Menaul, the location on Eubank, and several others throughout the city. Call ahead to confirm current drop-off availability, especially if you have an unusually large volume.

Senior Centers, Schools, Shelters, and Community Organizations

Albuquerque has a number of community organizations that maintain informal libraries or reading resources for their clients and participants. The Albuquerque senior centers often welcome large-print editions, light fiction, and popular nonfiction. APS elementary and middle schools may accept children's books and young adult titles directly — calling the school's office is the simplest approach.

Organizations serving individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability — including the Joy Junction shelter on Second Street and the Barrett House transitional housing program — often welcome practical nonfiction, general fiction, and self-help titles that their residents can use during stays.

For any of these direct-to-organization donations, a quick phone call before you show up with boxes is the right approach. Organizations have varying storage capacity and intake policies, and a heads-up lets them prepare to receive the donation properly.

Choosing where to donate: If your books are in good condition and you want them to serve a direct literacy mission, NMLP is the right first call. If you have a large, mixed-condition volume that needs to move efficiently, a combination of NMLP (for the best books) and Goodwill or Savers (for the overflow) is practical. See my full comparison at sell or donate books in Albuquerque.

Rather skip the sorting? Text 505-250-3804 for a pickup, or bring the boxes to the 24/7 drop box as they are.

When Spring Cleaning Turns Up Something Rare

Every so often, someone tells me a book they sent off in a bulk bag turned out to be scarce. The risk in spring cleaning isn't donating; it's donating somewhere that sorts by the bag instead of by the title. If a book on your shelf hits the signs above, here is what to do with it.

Keep It, or Pass It On Intact

If it matters to you, keep it. If you'd rather let it go, a quick record for yourself is worth two minutes before it leaves, especially for anything signed or inscribed. Here is what to photograph:

1
The full front cover — including the dust jacket if there is one. Lay it flat in good natural light.
2
The copyright page — the page verso of the title page, where you find the date, publisher, edition statement, and number line if there is one. This is the single most important page in determining whether something is a first edition.
3
The title page — sometimes editions are stated here rather than on the copyright page.
4
Any inscription or signature — if someone has written in the book, photograph that page clearly. An author signature versus a previous owner's name are very different things, and the inscription itself provides context.
5
The spine — a record of the binding: faded, cracked, or tight.
6
The dust jacket, if present — front flap, back panel, and any chips or tears. Keep the jacket on the book; it belongs with it.

Then pack it with the rest. Donated to NMLP, a book like that gets pulled during the hand sort and researched before it's listed, never dropped in a bulk lot. For estate cleanouts or larger collections, the estate cleanout page explains how that process works.

One Weekend, One Pickup

The most practical approach for most spring cleaning situations is simple: keep what you love, donate the rest in one go, and recycle only what truly can't be read.

Here is a realistic scenario: You have four shelves of books to clear. After one pass through the shelves, you have a box of keepers and four boxes of everything else. The four boxes go to NMLP in one pickup or one drop-box run. At the warehouse, the few scarce titles are researched and listed, the reading copies go back out to readers, and anything too damaged is paper-recycled. You have cleared the shelf and kept every book out of the landfill. The whole project takes a weekend instead of months of paralysis.

For how editions get identified at the warehouse, see the book authentication methodology. And if you are dealing with a larger estate situation where an entire library needs to be sorted, the estate cleanout guide addresses that specific context.

Practical Logistics: Getting Books Out of Your Home

The gap between deciding to clear your bookshelves and actually clearing them is almost always logistical. You know what to do. You just need to do it. Here is the practical information.

How to Pack Books for Donation

Books are heavy. A standard copy-paper box holds roughly forty to fifty average-sized books and will weigh thirty to forty pounds when full — which is a lot for repeated trips up and down stairs. Use smaller boxes: liquor store boxes (free, usually available), copy paper boxes, or small U-Haul boxes are all the right size. Resist the temptation to use large moving boxes unless you want a hernia.

For books you are donating: they do not need to be sorted or organized beyond separating books you think are in poor condition. Stack them spines up if possible, which protects the covers and makes them easier to handle. You do not need to wrap them or add packing material.

For books you want assessed or sold: keep dust jackets paired with their books. You can slip a piece of paper between the book and the jacket to protect it, but tape is never appropriate. Handle signed copies with clean hands. Do not stack very large books flat under heavy weight — it can damage the spines.

Scheduling a Pickup in the Albuquerque Metro

For NMLP pickups: use the contact form on this site to request a pickup. Provide your address, a rough count of how many boxes you have, and some availability windows. I schedule pickup runs throughout the week and do my best to accommodate most neighborhoods within the metro as soon as my schedule allows. If you have a time constraint — a move, an estate deadline, a lease end — let me know and I will do my best to prioritize.

If you are not able to carry boxes to the door, or if books are in an upstairs room or storage unit, please mention that when you reach out. I can work with those situations. I am not a courier service, but I am also not going to leave you stuck because stairs are involved.

Drop-Off Hours and Locations

My drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE is covered, waterproof and open 24/7 — it sits outside the gate near the road, so there is no appointment and no hours to check. Books, media and clean, wearable clothing all go in. For a big load, come between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., when someone can help unload, or text 505-250-3804.

Condition: What I Can and Cannot Work With

Acceptable Condition

Clean, complete copies with no missing pages
Some wear on covers and spines — normal use is fine
Light pencil annotations (many readers appreciate these)
Minor shelf wear, bumped corners
Paperbacks with some creasing on the spine

Not Acceptable for Donation

Mold or mildew of any kind (smell it if unsure)
Water damage that has warped or stained pages
Missing pages or chapters
Broken spines where pages are loose or falling out
Heavy marker or pen underlining throughout
Books that smell strongly of smoke or other contaminants

The Monsoon Deadline: Why Spring Matters in Albuquerque

Albuquerque's monsoon season typically arrives in earnest by early July and runs through mid-September. What this means for books: if you have them stored in a garage, a shed, an uninsulated storage room, or anywhere without climate control, the humidity spikes that come with afternoon storms can cause real damage in a single season. Books that were in perfectly acceptable condition in May can emerge from a garage in October with warped boards, foxing, and the early stages of mold. Getting books out of uncontrolled storage before July protects both the books and whoever receives them. This is not a soft deadline — I've seen it happen, and it is genuinely sad to see a good collection damaged by a single monsoon summer. Clear those garage shelves before the rainy season starts.

The Environmental Angle: When Books Cannot Be Saved

Not every book can be donated, and not every book can be sold. Some books are simply at the end of their useful life as objects. This is not a failure — it is the natural end of a physical thing that has done its job. The question is how to handle it responsibly.

When Books Are Too Damaged to Donate

Books with active mold should not be donated under any circumstances. Mold spreads — one moldy book in a box can contaminate the books around it. If you detect a musty, earthy smell that is concentrated around a book, or if you see visible fuzzy growth on the pages or covers, that book needs to go directly to disposal, not to donation.

Books with severe water damage — wavy, stiff, or brown-stained pages — are similarly not suitable for donation. Donors sometimes feel guilty about this, but placing damaged books in a donation stream creates problems for the organizations that have to sort and dispose of them at their expense.

Recycling Books in Albuquerque

The good news is that most book materials are recyclable. In Albuquerque, the City's blue recycling bin accepts paper, and paperback books with covers removed (covers are often coated and should go in trash) can be recycled as mixed paper. Hardcovers need to have the boards and binding stripped — the interior paper block is recyclable, but the cover boards and glued spine are not always accepted as mixed paper.

For larger volumes — if you have an entire estate's worth of unsalvageable books — the City of Albuquerque Solid Waste Management Division and the Cerro Colorado landfill and recycling facility handle bulk paper recycling. Contact the city's bulk waste program for large-volume arrangements.

There are also periodic paper recycling events in the Albuquerque metro, sometimes organized through Keep Albuquerque Beautiful and similar organizations. Check their events calendar for current opportunities.

The landfill is the last resort, and for books that are not recyclable — bound with non-recyclable materials, contaminated with chemicals, or mixed with non-paper materials — it is an appropriate last resort. The goal is to keep as much as possible out of the landfill, but not at the cost of sending damaged or contaminated materials to places that cannot handle them.

One note on the broader environmental picture: a donated book that reaches a reader has a much lower environmental footprint than a new book printed to replace it. Every functioning copy that stays in circulation is a small environmental win. This is one more reason why even humble, well-worn reading copies have value in the donation stream — they are not glamorous, but they are doing real work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the New Mexico Literacy Project pick up book donations in Albuquerque?

Yes. NMLP offers free pickup for book donations in the Albuquerque metro area, including the North Valley, East Side, Heights, South Valley, and surrounding communities. I typically ask for a minimum of one or two boxes to schedule a dedicated pickup run, but I work with donors on a case-by-case basis. contact me through the website to arrange a time that works for you.

What kinds of books does the New Mexico Literacy Project accept?

Books in any condition — fiction, nonfiction, children's books, cookbooks, self-help, history, textbooks, encyclopedias, and general reference — plus most media. Readable books go back out to readers; anything too damaged to read gets paper-recycled, and no book goes to the landfill. When in doubt, contact me and I'll tell you straight.

Should I try to sell my books before donating them?

You don't have to. Most home libraries are reading copies that go straight to new readers, and there's no need to pre-screen anything for me. If there's a particular book you already know you want to keep or handle yourself, set it aside before you box up the rest. Everything that comes to me is sorted by hand at the warehouse, and rare books are researched before they're listed.

Can I get a tax deduction for donating books in New Mexico?

The New Mexico Literacy Project is a for-profit book resale business, so books given to me are not tax-deductible. What I offer is free pickup and the assurance that every usable book reaches a reader. If a tax deduction matters for your situation, donate to a qualified 501(c)(3) organization such as a public library or university. I am happy to help you identify the right fit. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation. my year-end donation tax guide covers how book donations and deductions work.

What do I do with books that are too damaged to donate?

Books with mold, heavy water damage, or severe structural damage should not be donated — they can spread contamination to other books. In Albuquerque, paperback books with covers removed and hardcovers stripped of their boards can go into your blue recycling bin as mixed paper. The City of Albuquerque Solid Waste Department and the Cerro Colorado landfill also accept them as recyclable fiber. For large volumes, contact the city's bulk recycling program. Books that cannot be recycled — heavily contaminated or made with non-recyclable materials — go in the regular trash as a last resort.

How do I identify a first edition book?

First edition identification depends on the publisher and era. Most post-1970 publishers use a number line on the copyright page — if '1' appears in the sequence, it is a first printing. Earlier books use statements like "First Edition," "First Published," or "First Printing" on the copyright page. Some publishers, like Knopf, use colophons or specific statements. The absence of a later printing statement and the presence of "First Edition" language together are strong indicators. my first edition identification guide walks through this publisher by publisher with specific examples.

Why should I donate before monsoon season in Albuquerque?

Albuquerque's monsoon season typically arrives in early July and runs through mid-September. Books stored in garages, sheds, or un-air-conditioned rooms are vulnerable to the humidity spikes that come with afternoon storms. A single monsoon season can cause warping, foxing, and mold in books that were in perfectly good condition in May. Getting them out of storage before July means they arrive at their next home — whether that is NMLP, a library sale, or a new reader — in the best possible shape. Spring is the ideal window: the weather is clear, the humidity is low, and you have time to do this carefully rather than in a rush.

Related Guides

Decision Guide

Spring Cleaning Your Bookshelves in Albuquerque

What's in This Guide