About Us

Donations to the Library

Thank you for your generosity. For more information, contact any librarian.

Donating Books to the Library

All locations accept your donated books.

The Library does not automatically add donated books to its collection. Any book not added to the collection will be sent to the Friends of the Pima County Public Library for their booksale which provides funding for library services and programming. If you are an author and wish to market your item to the Library, please see the Library's guidelines for marketing your book to the library.

However, due to space considerations and limited staff for sorting books at some libraries, you are encouraged to drop off donations at the Friends of the Pima County Public Library's Book Barn, 2230 N. Country Club (Country Club and Grant) during their business hours:

Monday through Saturday, 9am - noon.

To make other delivery arrangements, please call the Friends' General Manager at 795-3763.

Friends of the Library top 10 "most wanted" materials:

  • Art
  • Crafts
  • Anthropology
  • Southwest
  • Cookbooks
  • Current computer books (e.g., published in past 3 years)
  • Gardening
  • Home improvement
  • Children's fiction in good condition
  • Videos, DVDs, CDs & Audiobooks (for children or adults)

Friends of the Library top 3 "not wanted" materials:

  • Magazines (please, no magazines!)
  • Reader's Digest Condensed Books
  • Old Encyclopedias - over 20 years

When books are moldy, mildewed, water-damaged, yellowed, dirty, or full of spider webs, there is no alternative but to discard them. Please do not donate this type of material to the Pima County Public Library or the Friends.

Blue Book House Project

The Blue Book House Project is a partnership between the library and local literacy agencies seeking donations of children's books. Read more about how to donate to the Blue Book House Project.

Other places that take donations

Other places to consider donating materials are local schools, retirement communities, clinics, or medical offices. Magazines can be recycled at City park sites, see www.tucsonrecycles.org for more information.

The non-profit Tucson Clean & Beautiful has a list of places that accept donations of books and magazines.

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Donating Money to the Library

The following are ways in which you can make a significant difference in your public library through a charitable gift of any amount. We've provided the information needed to make this process as convenient as possible.

Make a Donation to Your Neighborhood Library

Every penny counts toward the purchase of books, storytime puppets, and other much-needed items. Your gift stays in the neighborhood!

Please make check payable to "PCPL", then write the library's name on the note line.

The check can be dropped off at your neighborhood library or mailed. See library addresses and phone numbers.

Honor Your Loved One with a Donation Or Memorial Gift

A thoughtful and lasting way to celebrate a special person's life. Bookplates will memorialize your gift.

If you are giving to the library system as a whole, without designating a specific library, please make check payable to "PCPL".

If you would like your donation or memorial gift to go to a specific library, please make check payable to "PCPL", then write the library's name on the note line.

Important Note:

Please complete the Donation Form and include it with your donation, or contact any library for assistance.

The check can be dropped off at your neighborhood library, or mailed to:
Pima County Public Library
Library Administration
101 N. Stone Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701

Join the Friends of the Pima County Public Library or Your Local Friends Group

Help the Friends provide additional financial support through book sales and events.

Please make check payable to the Friends group you wish to support. See a list of our Friends groups.

Contribute to the Endowment Fund of the Pima County Library Foundation

Your bequests and charitable gifts will ensure the long-term future of our community's cornerstone.

Please make check payable to the Pima County Library Foundation:
Pima County Library Foundation
P.O. Box 13245
Tucson, AZ 85732-3245

Read more about the Foundation.

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Donating Equipment to the Library

Donations of computers, equipment and software are not generally accepted, because it is in the best interest of the Library to standardize its computer equipment and to adhere to software licensing agreements.

Why does PCPL not accept computers?

PCPL supports over 650 computers. PCPL strives to maintain a consistent technology experience for all of our users. Due to staffing constraints, we cannot support non-standard equipment.

Are there charities/non-profits in Tucson that accept PC donations?

Yes. The following organizations may take your donated equipment. Please call ahead to see if the organization accepts donations of the item you want to donate.

Donating eBooks to the Library

Unfortunately, you are not able to donate eBooks to your library. This is because eBooks are governed by contract, while physical books are governed by copyright law. Copyright law allows you to purchase your books as well as donate them to the library. Contracts, which are written by publishers, generally allow only leasing of eBooks (not purchasing), and the files come with digital rights management (DRM) that prevents you from transferring leased eBooks to anyone, including libraries.

If you would like to learn more about this issue, please visit Transforming Libraries.

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