UNM campus & Albuquerque college community

UNM textbook donations — what to do with old textbooks near campus

Every May and December, thousands of textbooks leave UNM dorm rooms, apartments, Greek houses, and faculty offices. Most end up in dumpsters along University Blvd or stacked next to Goodwill donation bins that are already overflowing. The New Mexico Literacy Project — a one-person operation run by Josh Eldred — offers free pickup and 24/7 drop-off about fifteen minutes north of campus. Nursing textbooks, engineering manuals, pre-med references, law casebooks, business texts, course readers — all of it. Any condition, any quantity, no sorting required. The books re-enter circulation through resale channels, community literacy partners, and Little Free Libraries across the metro. This semester’s required books are welcome too, including the ones still on next term’s syllabus. This page covers every angle: what I take from each UNM college, which departments produce the most donation volume, how the dorm and Greek life cleanout pickups work, what faculty and graduating seniors should know, and why the 24/7 drop box might be the easiest option you didn’t know about.

Call 505-250-3804 Text to schedule pickup

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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

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Last verified September 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

The end-of-semester textbook problem at UNM

UNM enrolls tens of thousands of students across its main campus, the Health Sciences Center, the School of Law, and the branch campuses. Two major semester endings per year, plus a smaller summer session cycle. Each transition generates a wave of unwanted textbooks — from students moving out of dorms, graduating seniors clearing apartments, international students who can’t ship books overseas, faculty rotating office collections, and Greek houses doing end-of-year cleanouts.

Very little of it finds a next reader on its own. Most of the volume lands in dumpsters behind Hokona Hall, gets piled next to the Goodwill bins on Central, or sits in a closet until the next move.

That’s the gap NMLP fills. I run from a warehouse at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, operated by Josh Eldred — about fifteen minutes north of UNM’s main campus via I-25 or straight up Edith Blvd. Free pickup from anywhere in the metro, or a 24/7 outdoor drop box that’s accessible day and night, 365 days a year. No minimum quantity, no condition requirements, no appointment needed for the drop box.

If you came here looking to get rid of UNM textbooks, this is the fastest way: donate them. I never pay for books and never charge for pickup, and I take this semester’s required texts right alongside the old editions, course readers and lab manuals. The current-edition calculus, organic chemistry, nursing and engineering books still on the syllabus go straight back out to students who need them, and that resale is what keeps pickup free. Access codes already used? Loose-leaf in a binder? Highlighted cover to cover? All of it is welcome.

Fifteen minutes from campus — closer than you think

The NMLP warehouse sits at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, in the North Valley near Edith and Montano. If you’re coming from the Duck Pond or Zimmerman Library, it’s a straight shot north — either up I-25 to the Montano exit or along Edith Blvd through the neighborhoods. About fifteen minutes with normal traffic.

From the SUB or Johnson Center, same route. From UNM Hospital or the Domenici Center on the Health Sciences campus, it’s about the same distance heading north. From Popejoy Hall or the Fine Arts area, add a couple of minutes for the westward jog to the freeway.

The 24/7 drop box is covered and waterproof, and it sits outside the gate near the road. No lock, no buzzer. You drive up, drop your books in the box, and leave. It takes about as long as driving to the UNM Bookstore and finding parking — except the drop box is never closed, never has a line, and never rejects anything based on condition or edition.

If you’d rather not drive at all, free pickup is the other option. I run UNM-area routes throughout the academic year, and pickups are scheduled by route. Text 505-250-3804 with your address and a photo of the books, and I’ll fold you into an upcoming one. For more about the 24/7 drop box and how it works, there’s a dedicated page.

End of semester approaching? Don’t let your textbooks end up in the dorm dumpster.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos for pickup

What I take from every UNM college — this semester’s books included

Every department’s books are welcome, and the ones on this semester’s syllabus are the ones I most want to see: the current editions go straight back out to the next student taking the course, and that resale is what keeps pickup free. Here’s what that looks like college by college. You don’t need to sort anything; the list is only here so you know nothing gets turned away.

College of Nursing

Bring the whole nursing shelf: this semester’s pharmacology and med-surg texts, fundamentals, pathophysiology, maternal-newborn and pediatric guides, NCLEX-RN review books and practice-question books, clinical drug guides, and care-plan handbooks. Nursing students nationwide use these, not just UNM students, so they rarely sit on a shelf for long once they reach the warehouse.

Current editions are especially welcome, and so are copies two editions back; a slightly older pharmacology text still teaches the same drug classes, and students on tight budgets look for them. Loose-leaf editions and books whose access code is long gone are fine too.

Graduating from UNM’s BSN or accelerated program? The whole stack can go in one pickup. For detailed information about medical and nursing textbook donations, there’s a dedicated page.

School of Engineering

Circuits, thermodynamics, statics and dynamics, materials science, fluid mechanics, controls, signals and systems: the core ECE, ME, CE, ChemE, and Nuclear Engineering sequence is welcome, the hardcovers still on this semester’s syllabus included. Computer science books ride along in the same box: algorithms, operating systems, compilers, theory of computation, and language references.

Upper-division and graduate texts are just as welcome as the freshman sequence. Editions cycle slowly at that level, so a graduate controls text from five years ago still reaches an engineer who needs it.

Math from the engineering sequence belongs here too: calculus (Stewart, Thomas), differential equations, linear algebra (Strang), numerical methods, plus the solutions manuals and FE exam review books that went with them.

Pre-Med & Health Sciences

The Health Sciences Center reading list is welcome in any edition, this year’s included: anatomy atlases (Netter, Moore, Grant’s), physiology, microbiology, pathology (Robbins is the perennial standard), pharmacology (Goodman & Gilman, Katzung), and histology.

MCAT review sets and practice-exam books come along too, this year’s and older, with board-review books and clinical pocket guides. The newest prep sets go straight to students still studying; older ones reach readers through my other channels.

If you’re finishing a pre-med track, completing an MD, or rotating through UNM Hospital, the accumulated reference library can come to me in one trip instead of going to the recycling bin.

Anderson School of Management

Principles of accounting, intermediate and cost accounting, financial management, marketing, organizational behavior, operations, and business statistics: Anderson texts are welcome, current editions and older ones alike. Business content updates often, which is exactly why this semester’s editions are the most useful ones to hand on.

MBA texts in finance, strategy, and operations management are welcome, and so are CPA review books from this year or earlier years.

Case packets, custom course readers, and the companion workbooks go in the same box. I sort at the warehouse: the titles students are still buying go back out to them, and the rest go into circulation or recycling.

School of Law

Casebooks for contracts, torts, civil procedure, constitutional law, property, criminal law, and evidence are welcome, this year’s editions included, along with hornbooks and treatises from established series (Prosser on Torts, Corbin on Contracts), study aids, and supplement series.

Bar prep materials (Barbri, Themis, Kaplan) are welcome from this cycle or earlier ones: outlines, lecture handouts, flashcards, and MBE practice books. If you’re done with them the week you sit for the exam, that’s a fine time to drop them off.

For a deeper look at law textbook donations, including how to handle law review back issues and faculty publication offprints, there’s a dedicated page.

College of Education

Methods textbooks, classroom management guides, special education resources, ESL/bilingual education materials, literacy instruction texts, and curriculum design books from UNM’s College of Education are all welcome, current editions included.

Teacher resource materials (activity books, lesson plan compilations, assessment tools, bilingual classroom aids) often go to community literacy partners, where they end up in the hands of working teachers who need them. That is about the most direct route to impact a book can take in Albuquerque.

If you’re completing your student teaching or finishing an education degree at UNM, the methods books and practicum binders can come along with everything else instead of sitting in a closet you’ll never open again.

College of Arts & Sciences — STEM Courses

Physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and computer science texts are all welcome, from the large-enrollment intro courses (Physics 160/161, Chemistry 121/122, Biology 201/202) on up. This semester’s required edition is as welcome as the old ones, and because these courses are required across so many degree programs, the next student who needs your copy is never far away.

Upper-division and graduate texts in specialized fields (quantum mechanics, organic synthesis, molecular biology, abstract algebra, topology) are welcome too, along with lab manuals, solutions manuals, and study guides. Specialist books that have gathered dust for a decade still have a reader somewhere.

College of Arts & Sciences — Humanities

Norton Anthologies, Bedford readers, Penguin Classics, edited collections, custom UNM course packets, and the novels assigned for English or philosophy courses: all welcome, margin notes and all.

Signed or inscribed copies from UNM faculty readings and visiting authors, small-press books, and UNM Press titles go in the same box. Mention them when you text and I’ll set them aside to handle one at a time at the warehouse.

Every humanities book has a next life. Readable copies go to Little Free Libraries and other distribution channels. Course readers and custom packets get recycled. Either way, they stay out of the landfill, which is the baseline commitment.

Any edition, any condition, any quantity. Text a photo of the stack and I’ll set up the pickup.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos to schedule

End-of-semester timing — May, December, and summer session

The two biggest donation surges happen in May and December, aligned with UNM’s spring and fall semester endings. Move-out weekends are the peak — that’s when residence halls empty, lease cycles turn over in the University-area apartments, and graduating seniors clear out for good. I see more textbook volume in these two-week windows than in the other ten months combined.

Pickups are scheduled by route, and these are the weeks the route calendar fills first. Text 505-250-3804 as early as you can with your address and a photo; stops near campus get grouped onto UNM-area routes, and the 24/7 drop box takes anything that can’t wait for one.

Summer session produces a smaller but steady wave of donations in late July and early August. Students finishing summer courses and departing before fall semester often have a handful of textbooks to unload. The 24/7 drop box is the most convenient option for these smaller quantities — no scheduling, no coordination, just drive up and drop off.

January and August — the start of new semesters — are actually low-donation periods. Students are buying, not unloading. That said, I accept donations year-round. If you’re doing a mid-semester bookshelf purge or found a box of textbooks in your closet from two years ago, the drop box doesn’t care about the academic calendar.

For a broader guide to end-of-semester textbook options in Albuquerque, the seasonal page walks through move-out timing, drop-off, and recycling for every campus.

Dorm cleanouts, Greek life, and residence hall partnerships

UNM’s residence halls generate significant textbook volume at the end of every semester. Hokona Hall, Coronado Hall, Laguna-DeVargas, Lobo Village, and Casas del Rio each produce dozens of boxes of abandoned books during move-out weekends. Some of this gets caught by the residence life staff and directed to donation bins. Much of it doesn’t.

If you’re an RA or a residence life coordinator, I can work with your hall to set up an end-of-semester donation collection point. The logistics are simple: designate a spot in a common area or near the lobby, let residents know about it during the last week of classes, and text me when the collection is done. I’ll come pick up everything in one trip. A single collection point can keep several boxes of books out of the dumpster each semester.

Greek houses along the UNM area operate the same way. Chapter houses accumulate textbooks in common areas, study rooms, and individual rooms over the course of a year. End-of-year house cleanouts are an opportunity to clear all of it at once, this semester’s course books included. A chapter can run the collection as a service project: gather the books in one room, text me when it’s boxed, and I pick it all up. It’s a low-effort activity that gets real books to real readers.

For individual students in any of these residence halls: you don’t need to coordinate with anyone. Text 505-250-3804 with your room or lobby location and a photo of the books. I’ll come to you on a UNM-area route; move-out weekends book up first, so text early.

RA or Greek life officer? Set up an end-of-semester collection for your hall or chapter.

Call 505-250-3804 Text to coordinate

Faculty office cleanouts and emeriti libraries

UNM faculty retirements and emeritus transitions generate some of the most interesting book collections I handle. A professor who’s been in the same office for twenty or thirty years accumulates a library that’s part academic reference, part personal collection, part review copies, and part departmental overflow. When it’s time to clear the office, the university usually provides boxes and a deadline, but not much guidance on what to do with the contents.

I handle the entire library. Academic press hardcovers, journal runs, reference works, conference proceedings, faculty publication offprints, personally inscribed copies from colleagues — all of it. Inscribed and signed copies are the ones most likely to get tossed in a rushed office clear-out, so leave them in the boxes. They get looked at one at a time at the warehouse, books that researchers and students still want go back out to them, and the rest passes along to readers.

For department-level cleanouts involving multiple offices — which happens during building renovations, department moves, and periodic space reallocation — I can coordinate with your department administrator to handle the logistics. One contact person, one pickup window, multiple offices cleared.

If you’re a UNM faculty member approaching retirement, on sabbatical and downsizing, or just clearing shelf space that’s accumulated over the years, text 505-250-3804. I’ll tell you honestly how a pickup would work for your office and what I can take. For broader guidance on donating books in Albuquerque, the complete guide covers all the scenarios.

International students — end-of-semester book solutions

UNM’s international student population faces a specific end-of-semester problem that domestic students don’t: you can’t economically ship a semester’s worth of textbooks to another country. Shipping heavy boxes overseas is expensive. Checking extra bags on international flights is expensive and logistically painful. So the books either get left behind in the apartment, given to whoever happens to be around, or thrown away.

This is one of the most common pickups I do in May and December. International students clearing apartments in the University area, Nob Hill, Ridgecrest, or further out in the Heights often have a whole semester’s worth of textbooks plus accumulated course readers, novels from English courses, and reference materials. I take all of it — no sorting required, no condition thresholds.

The key constraint for international students is usually time. Text 505-250-3804 with photos, your address, and your departure date as soon as you know it. Pickups are scheduled by route, so I’ll tell you honestly whether one can reach you before you go. If it can’t, the 24/7 drop box takes the whole stack at any hour, and someone is at the warehouse 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week, to help unload a car full of boxes. I understand the urgency — you have a flight to catch and a lease to close.

If you’re an international student advisor or work with the Global Education Office, NMLP is happy to be a resource you can point students toward at end of semester. The service is free, and it solves a problem that comes up every term.

Leaving the country after finals? Text your departure date; a pickup or the 24/7 drop box takes everything.

Call 505-250-3804 Text with your timeline

Graduating seniors — clearing out for good

Graduation is the inflection point where four (or more) years of accumulated textbooks need to go somewhere. Graduating seniors are moving to new cities, starting jobs, downsizing into smaller apartments, or moving back home. The shelf full of textbooks from sophomore organic chemistry, junior-year biomechanics, and senior capstone courses rarely makes the cut for the moving truck.

The whole shelf can go in one trip, current-edition STEM texts and recent nursing or engineering books included, even the ones from courses you finished last week. One text message, one pickup, done; I sort it all at the warehouse, and the books still on the syllabus go straight to the next class of students.

If you’re a parent helping your graduate clear out an apartment near UNM, the same pickup service applies. I regularly handle parent-coordinated cleanouts where the graduate has already left town and a parent or family member is handling the final apartment sweep. Text me photos and the address — the graduate does not need to be present.

The Lobo Rainforest building, the off-campus apartments along Central and Silver, the houses in the University neighborhood south of campus, the complexes up Girard and along Carlisle — I’ve picked up from all of these areas and will continue to. Graduating in May or December is stressful enough without worrying about what to do with thirty textbooks.

Off-campus housing, Nob Hill, and the University area

A majority of UNM students live off campus. The University neighborhood immediately south and east of campus — bounded roughly by Central, Girard, Lead, and Yale — is the densest concentration of student housing. Nob Hill along Central east of Girard is the next ring out. Student apartments and shared houses extend into Ridgecrest, the Silver Hill area, and north along University Blvd.

The Lobo Rainforest building at Central and Broadway bridges the on-campus/off-campus divide — it’s a student innovation hub with residential units, and residents there generate textbook donations just like traditional dorm residents do. Lobo Village and Casas del Rio sit at the edge of campus and function more like apartment complexes than traditional dorms, but the end-of-lease textbook problem is the same.

For off-campus residents, the 24/7 drop box is often the most convenient option. It’s a straight shot up I-25 from the University area — faster than trying to find parking on campus to visit the bookstore. But if you have more than you want to carry, or if you’re doing a full apartment cleanout and books are just one part of it, free pickup is the better path. I take everything — textbooks, novels, media, games — in one trip.

For the general guide to donating textbooks in Albuquerque, covering all neighborhoods and drop-off options, there’s a dedicated page.

Off-campus apartment cleanout? One text gets the whole stack handled.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos & address

Study group collections and tutoring center surpluses

Study groups, student organizations, and academic support centers accumulate textbooks over time. A pre-med study group might share a set of anatomy atlases and pharmacology references across members, building up a small communal library over several semesters. Tutoring centers — both the campus-run ones at places like the Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) and informal student-run groups — collect reference materials and practice-problem books that eventually become outdated or surplus.

When a study group dissolves at graduation, or when a tutoring center is refreshing its materials, the accumulated books need somewhere to go. Splitting them among members is one option, but often no one wants to claim a three-year-old organic chemistry text when they’ve already passed the course. Donating the whole collection is cleaner.

If you’re a student org leader, CAPS tutor, or academic support coordinator with surplus materials, text 505-250-3804. I’ll pick up from campus locations, study lounges, or wherever the books are staged. For student organizations looking to build a donation drive into their end-of-year programming, I can help with the logistics — where to stage the collection, when to schedule the pickup, and the satisfaction of knowing the books go to use rather than recycling.

Skip the finals-week buyback line

Finals week is already the most crowded week of the semester, and you don’t need to spend any of it standing in a line with a backpack full of books.

The books I most want to see: this semester’s required texts — calculus, intro and organic chemistry, physics, anatomy, biology, nursing, engineering — including the ones assigned again next term. They’re what the next class shows up needing, and reselling them is what pays for the free pickups. I never pay for books; it’s a donation, start to finish.

Everything else comes along: electives, humanities readings, supplementary materials, older editions, course readers, lab manuals. A buyback counter takes a short list of titles and hands the rest back; I take the whole stack in one trip.

Two ways to hand it off: text for a free pickup anywhere in the metro, or drive the stack to the 24/7 drop box. Every box gets sorted by hand at the warehouse, so there’s nothing to separate first.

For the citywide picture, the guide to donating textbooks anywhere in Albuquerque covers UNM, CNM, and the other campuses.

Fifteen textbooks from four semesters? All fifteen are welcome, this semester’s included.

Call 505-250-3804 Text for pickup

The 24/7 drop box — the easiest option you didn’t know about

The outdoor drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It sits outside the gate, close to the road: no lock, no appointment, no interaction required. Drive up, put your books in the box, and leave. The whole process takes about two minutes, plus the fifteen-minute drive from campus.

This is the option I recommend for small to medium donations — a backpack’s worth up to a couple of boxes. It’s particularly convenient for students who are driving north anyway (heading to Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo, or Santa Fe) or for anyone who wants to deal with the textbooks on their own schedule rather than coordinating a pickup window.

During finals weeks and move-out weekends, the drop box sees heavy use. If it’s full when you pull up, please don’t stack books on the ground next to it: text 505-250-3804, or come between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., when someone at the warehouse can help you unload.

The drop box accepts everything: textbooks, novels, nonfiction, children’s books, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, board games, puzzles. No sorting required — just drop it all. For the complete rundown, including directions and photos, see the 24/7 book drop page.

Where your donated textbooks actually go

Every donation gets sorted by hand at the warehouse. The routing depends on the book:

Resale channels (Amazon, eBay, specialty platforms): Textbooks students are still buying go here. This is how the free pickup operation is funded — the revenue from reselling donated books covers the gas, the warehouse, and the time. Current-edition nursing, engineering, pre-med, and CS textbooks are the most consistent contributors to this channel.

Community literacy partners: Children’s books, age-appropriate nonfiction, and teacher resource materials route to community literacy partners across the metro. When College of Education textbooks come through that are still usable as classroom resources, they often end up there too.

community reading programs: Children’s books and young-adult titles go to Little Free Libraries and neighborhood reading programs across the metro. Donated books keep that library refreshed.

Little Free Libraries: Readable books in good condition that won’t resell go to Little Free Libraries throughout the Albuquerque metro. These neighborhood book-exchange boxes depend on a steady supply of donations to stay stocked.

La Vida Llena and other community partners: My partnership with La Vida Llena retirement community and other local organizations provides another distribution channel for readable books that match specific community needs.

Paper recycler: Books that are genuinely beyond use — water-damaged, moldy, structurally destroyed — go to a regional pulp recycler. This is the last resort, not the default. Most donated books find a reader before they reach this stage.

Your textbooks deserve better than the dorm dumpster. Let’s get them to readers.

Call 505-250-3804 Text to schedule pickup

Where each kind of textbook goes after you donate

You don’t need to sort anything before a pickup. This is simply how I route what comes in, so you know where your books end up. Demand shifts with semesters and edition cycles, but the routes hold steady.

Straight back to students: Current-edition required textbooks for high-enrollment courses in nursing, engineering, pre-med, computer science, and mathematics, plus this year’s NCLEX, MCAT, and bar prep materials. Students are looking for these right now, so they get listed first; that resale is what covers the free pickups.

Listed one at a time: One-edition-old STEM textbooks, current business and accounting texts, specialized upper-division and graduate-level texts in any field, recent law casebooks. Copies in good shape get listed individually, and the rest go to readers.

To readers and recyclers: Humanities readers and anthologies, two-or-more-editions-old textbooks in any field, mass-market novels from literature courses, supplementary materials, custom UNM course packets. These reach readers through Little Free Libraries and my other distribution channels, or get properly recycled.

Have a specific stack in mind? Text photos to 505-250-3804 and I’ll set up the pickup. If you’re wondering whether I’ll take something, the answer is yes.

Not just UNM — CNM, SIPI, and other Albuquerque campuses

While this page focuses on UNM, the same free pickup and 24/7 drop box service covers all Albuquerque-area campuses. Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) students at the Main Campus on University, the Westside, South Valley, and Montoya campuses all fall within my pickup area. The same applies to the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) campus on Coors Blvd.

CNM’s nursing program uses much of the same NCLEX prep and clinical nursing material UNM’s does, and its trades programs (HVAC, welding, electrical, automotive) add code books and shop manuals to the mix. This semester’s CNM course books are welcome in the same pickup or the same drop box.

For detailed guidance specific to CNM textbook donations, there’s a dedicated page. For the broadest overview of donating textbooks in Albuquerque regardless of campus, the hub page covers every campus and drop-off option.

Any campus, any textbook, any condition. Free pickup across the entire Albuquerque metro.

Call 505-250-3804 Text to schedule pickup

About the New Mexico Literacy Project

NMLP is a for-profit book donation and resale operation based in Albuquerque, run by one person, Josh Eldred. To be clear: I am not a nonprofit, and donations to me are not tax-deductible. The trade-off is that I accept everything in any condition, provide free pickup with no minimum, and my 24/7 drop box is always open. No restrictions on what I take, no business-hours-only access, no rejection.

The business model is straightforward. Books with resale value get sold through Amazon, eBay, and specialty platforms. That revenue funds the free pickup service, the warehouse, and the sorting operation. Books with distribution value (children’s books, teacher resources, reading-level-appropriate materials) go to community literacy partners, Little Free Libraries, and community partners like La Vida Llena. Only genuinely destroyed books go to the recycler.

NMLP holds 5.0 stars across its Google reviews. La Vida Llena retirement community is a regular partner. The operation has been running since 2024 and has handled thousands of donations ranging from a single bag of paperbacks to multi-room estate libraries.

To learn more about how the operation works, read the About page. If you need a tax-deductible donation, Friends of the Albuquerque Public Library and Goodwill both provide receipts — though both have condition restrictions I don’t have.

Frequently asked questions about UNM textbook donations

What should I do with old textbooks from UNM?

Donate the whole stack, this semester’s required textbooks included. Current-edition STEM, nursing, pre-med, law and business books are welcome right alongside older editions, electives, humanities readers, and supplementary materials. I offer free pickup from anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, including UNM dorms and off-campus housing, or you can use my 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, about 15 minutes from main campus. I never pay for books; resale of donated books is what funds the free pickups. Your books re-enter circulation through resale channels, community literacy partners, and Little Free Libraries.

Do you pick up textbooks from UNM dorms?

Yes. Free pickup from all UNM residence halls including Hokona, Coronado, Laguna-DeVargas, Lobo Village, and Casas del Rio. Also from the Lobo Rainforest building, off-campus apartments in the Nob Hill and University areas, and anywhere else in the metro. Finals weeks and move-out weekends in May and December are the busiest stretch, so text early; pickups are scheduled by route, and the 24/7 drop box takes anything that can’t wait. Text 505-250-3804 with your address and a photo of the books.

Is this a tax-deductible donation?

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, Friends of the Albuquerque Public Library and Goodwill both accept books and can provide receipts — though both have condition restrictions I don’t.

Where is the drop box relative to UNM campus?

My 24/7 drop box is at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107 — near Edith and Montano in the North Valley. It’s about 15 minutes from UNM main campus heading north on I-25 or up Edith Blvd. The covered box sits outside the gate, near the road. No lock, no appointment. Drive up and drop off any time, day or night, 365 days a year.

Do you take this semester’s nursing textbooks?

Yes, and they are some of the books I most want to see. This semester’s pharmacology, pathophysiology, fundamentals, and med-surg texts, NCLEX-RN review books, practice-question books, and clinical drug guides are all welcome, current and prior editions alike, in any quantity and any condition. Every box is sorted by hand at the warehouse; the titles nursing students are hunting for go back out to them, which funds my free pickups, and the rest go to readers and study groups.

Can you pick up textbooks from Greek houses near UNM?

Yes. Greek houses along the UNM Greek Row area are a regular pickup route, especially during end-of-semester cleanouts. If your chapter is doing a house cleanout and has accumulated textbooks in common areas, study rooms, or individual rooms, text 505-250-3804. I can coordinate a single pickup for the whole house. A chapter-wide book collection also works well as an end-of-year service project.

What happens to the textbooks I donate?

Every donation gets sorted by hand. Textbooks students are still buying get resold 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 won’t resell go out through other distribution channels. Only books that are genuinely beyond use — water-damaged, moldy, or structurally destroyed — go to a regional pulp recycler. Nothing usable gets thrown away.

I’m an international student leaving the country — can you pick up my entire book collection?

Yes, and this is one of the most common pickups I do in May and December. International students leaving for the summer or graduating can’t economically ship a semester’s worth of textbooks overseas. Text 505-250-3804 with photos of your books, your address, and your departure timeline. Pickups are scheduled by route, so I’ll tell you honestly whether one can reach you before you leave; if it can’t, the 24/7 drop box takes the whole stack at any hour. No minimum, no condition requirements — I take everything from this semester’s STEM textbooks to novels to course readers.

Do you handle faculty office cleanouts at UNM?

Yes. Faculty retirements, emeritus office cleanouts, department reorganizations, and sabbatical downsizes are a regular part of what I do. Faculty libraries often contain decades of accumulated academic press hardcovers, journal runs, reference works, and sometimes personally inscribed copies from colleagues. I take the entire library, inscribed copies included, and do all the sorting at the warehouse. For department-level cleanouts involving multiple offices, I can coordinate with your department administrator.

Do I need to go through the bookstore buyback line first?

No. Skip the finals-week line and donate the whole stack, current-edition required textbooks included; the drop box takes every book you have, with no line and no sorting. NMLP never pays for books — I’m a donation operation with free pickup, and resale of donated books is what funds it. I take everything in any condition, come to you anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, and the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE is open year-round.

What condition do textbooks need to be in for donation?

Any condition. Highlighted, dog-eared, spine-cracked, water-stained, missing the cover, written in, sticky-noted to death — all accepted. There’s no condition cutoff here, and loose-leaf editions, lab manuals, study guides, and books whose access codes are used or missing are all fine. If Zimmerman Library would cringe at the condition, I’ll still take it. Readable books go to readers. Damaged-beyond-reading books go to my paper recycler. Either way, they stay out of the landfill.

When is the best time to donate UNM textbooks?

The two big surges are May (spring semester end and graduation) and December (fall semester end). Summer session produces a smaller wave in late July and early August. Move-out weekends are the peak, so text early if you want a pickup. That said, 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.

Do you accept law school textbooks and bar prep materials?

Yes. UNM School of Law casebooks, hornbooks, supplement series, and bar prep materials (Barbri, Themis, Kaplan) are all accepted. This year's casebooks and the bar prep set you just finished with are especially welcome, and they go back out to the next class of law students. Older editions and used bar prep sets still find readers through my distribution channels. For a deeper look at law textbook donations, see my law textbook donations page.

Can I donate just a few textbooks or do you need a large collection?

No minimum. I’ll pick up a single textbook or a whole apartment’s worth. 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 anywhere in the metro. Pickups are scheduled by route, and a small stop near campus is easy to fold into a UNM-area run.

Do you accept items other than textbooks?

Yes. Along with textbooks, I accept novels, nonfiction, cookbooks, children’s books, magazines, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, vinyl records, board games, and puzzles. If you’re doing a full dorm cleanout or apartment move-out, bring everything — no need to separate textbooks from other books or media. It all goes in the same drop box or the same pickup trip.

How do I schedule a free textbook pickup near UNM?

Text 505-250-3804 with photos of your books and your address. That’s it. I’ll confirm a pickup window by route. Finals weeks and move-out weekends fill the calendar fastest, and the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE is the no-wait option when it’s full. You can also call the same number. No forms, no online scheduling portal, no minimum quantity.

What about study group collections and tutoring center book surpluses?

Study groups that have accumulated shared textbooks, and tutoring centers or academic support offices with surplus materials, are welcome to donate. If you’re a student org leader, RA, or tutoring coordinator with a stack of books that have outlived their usefulness to your group, text 505-250-3804. I can pick up from campus buildings, study lounges, or wherever the books are.

Is the 24/7 drop box secure?

The drop box is at my warehouse at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A. It’s a covered, waterproof box outside the gate, near the road — no code, no appointment needed. Drive up and place your books in the box; if it is full, text 505-250-3804 or come between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., when someone can take them in. The location is in a commercial area near Edith and Montano. Books are collected and brought inside regularly. Thousands of books have come through the drop box with no issues.

Related guides

Donate Textbooks in Albuquerque — general textbook donation guide for all campuses and neighborhoods
CNM Textbook Donations — CNM-specific guide for community college textbooks
Medical & Nursing Textbook Donations — nursing, pre-med, and Health Sciences texts, current editions welcome
Law Textbook Donations — UNM Law and bar prep materials
End-of-Semester Textbook Guide — seasonal timing and decision framework
Donate Homeschool Curriculum in New Mexico — faith-based, secular, classical, and Charlotte Mason curriculum donations
Teacher Textbook Donations in New Mexico — guidance for teachers, schools, and districts donating classroom materials
24/7 Book Drop — location, directions, and what to expect
Free Book Pickup in Albuquerque — how the pickup service works
Complete Guide to Donating Books in Albuquerque — the broadest overview

Ready to clear the shelf?

Text 505-250-3804 with photos of your 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.

Call 505-250-3804 Text photos Schedule pickup