Material donations

The library accepts donations of books, audiobooks, movies, music CDs, or games. Donated items should be in good to excellent condition. 

Donations may be brought to the library during normal hours of operation. At this time, donations cannot be placed at the library's front or back entrance. If you need help, our staff can assist patrons with bringing items into the library.

Donations are first considered for the library’s main collection. Any remaining donations will be added to either in-library book sale carts or the annual FOL Book Sale. 

Donation Guidelines

Each year, hundreds of items are donated that are not sellable. This takes up a lot of time and space that we just don’t have. We encourage you to think carefully about what you are donating to the library. If you wouldn’t buy it at a garage sale, likely, we would not be able to use it either.

Please do not leave book donations outside of the library, in the lobby, or book drop. If you are donating a lot of items at once, please call (231)937-5575 so that we can make arrangements to assist you. 

We accept:

• Newer items - the newer the item is, the better
• Gently used items - items in good condition, with no obvious stains, smells or other gross stuff
• Fiction - especially anything in the last five years
• Non-fiction that is still relevant and accurate
• DVDs in good cases
• Books in two languages, like English/Spanish

We do not accept:

• Damaged items - anything that is yellowed, stained, ripped, scribbled in or chewed, missing pages, or has a weird smell. This includes damage by water, insects, mold, tobacco, smoke, or mildew
• Self-Help or Medical books older than 5 years
• Textbooks, Law books, Engineering books, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Religious Bibles
• VCR tapes

General Hint: If you wouldn’t give it to a friend, please don’t give it to the library. If you have books, catalogs, etc. that don’t fit our criteria, please consider the PAPERGATOR® located at Cedar Springs Middle School or North Kent Connect.

Memorial/Honor Book Program

Books are a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, to say thank you to someone, to extend get-well wishes, to congratulate a friend or family member on a special accomplishment, or to honor a special teacher. Books honor the memory of loved ones and serve as living tributes that enrich the community.

A bookplate will be placed in an honor/memorial book and a letter sent to the person or family being honored. Other donations will be acknowledged with a letter sent to the person or family being honored.

In addition to books, other items are available for tributes such as DVDs, books on CD, and magazine subscriptions.

If you would like to honor or memorialize a friend or family member with a gift book to the library, you may download the Timothy C. Hauenstein Reynolds Township Library Donation Form (PDF) or call the library at (231) 937-5575 for more information. Your contribution is tax deductible.

financial contributions

Your gift is important in helping to expand minds, empower individuals, and enrich our community. If you would like to donate to the library, download the Timothy C. Hauenstein Reynolds Township Library Donation Form (PDF) or call the library at (231) 937-5575 for more information. Your contribution is tax deductible.

Company Matching Gifts

Check with your company for matching gift policies If you are planning to give to the library, check into your employers’ policies. Many companies have programs that will match the charitable contributions made by their employees. Through corporate gift matching, your employer can multiply your gifts to make them go further.