The UBC English Graduate Caucus is grateful for donations of used books; the sale of these books helps fund our programs and initiatives for English language and literature graduate students. However, because we have limited storage space and labour available, the following policy outlines the type and quantity of books we will accept and the process through which they are accepted. Please read and follow these guidelines when considering donating your books.
All book donations must be given with the consent of a member of the English Graduate Caucus. If you have questions or wish to make a donation, please contact gradcaucus@gmail.com
What kinds of books do you accept?
Books donated to the EL&L graduate caucus are used either by students in the Department or are sold as Caucus fundraising. To that end, we accept all fiction books that are in new or good condition (no ripped pages, little to no markups/annotations, no water damage). We also accept literary criticism that is directly related to areas of study within our Department and that is in new or good condition. We accept a maximum of four standard boxes of books per donation.
What kinds of books do you NOT accept?
We do not accept books that are obscure, criticism not relevant to popular research interests or not related to the field of English Languages and Literature, books in languages other than English, and books that are not in good shape.
As a general rule, we are only interested in books not easily accessible through the UBC libraries or those that will be saleable at a used book sale.
How do I prepare books to give you?
Sort your books and only provide us with donations that follow this policy. Please ensure that all boxes of books are neatly organized, with as many books spine facing up as possible so that we may go through them efficiently.
How do I get books to you?
Our book donations are sorted and stored in the English Graduate Lounge, located on the 6th floor of Buchanan Tower (1873 E Mall). Please contact the graduate caucus to arrange drop-off, and leave books stacked against any wall in the lounge. The lounge is only accessible with a graduate student keycard; if you need access to the lounge, contact the English Department office. Please do not leave any book donations in the English Department office unless advised to do so by Reception or a member of the Caucus.
What can I do with books that you will not take?
We understand that because we have restricted the books we will accept as donations, you may be left with books that still need a home. There are other options for book donations that we would like to recommend. The Big Brother Big Sisters book donation bin located on campus in the lane between Tim Horton’s and Great Dane coffee accepts everything but magazines and encyclopaedias. There are also numerous used book stores across Greater Vancouver, although they have their own donation policies. For those books not eligible for donation or resale, the Vancouver General Hospital Thrift Store and Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store receive donations of books not accepted by used bookstores. They pulp/recycle the books and receive direct profits; please consider using one of these other resources for the remainder of your books.