Adopted 9-16-15
The Mead Public Library discards books and other materials from its collections for a variety of reasons including:
· Age
· Condition
· Circulation History
· Lack of relevancy to collections
Discarded materials and donated items that are not needed by the library will be given to the Friends of Mead Public Library. Materials will be sold or donated based on marketplace value. All other books/materials may be recycled and/or discarded.
Because of storage limitations and they are not saleable the Friends organization does not accept the following:
· Books with mold/mildew/soiled/dusty
· Encyclopedias
· Textbooks (more than five-years old)
· Legal and medical books
· Pamphlets and outdated maps
· Magazines
VHS tapes are not accepted but DVD's in working condition are.
For donations from the public over one box, the Friends prefer making an appointment to accept the donated books/items. It is our policy to provide receipts to acknowledge the donation. It is the donor’s responsibility to establish the value of the donated items.
Proceeds from discarded and donated items support adult and children’s programming at Mead Public Library.
What can you do with books and magazines that are not suitable for donations?
You may want to check with area thrift stores as some do accept certain types of books. If not, please recycle them. Paperback books, magazines, and the pages of hardcover books, can be recycled as paper (you must remove the hardcover binding before recycling as paper). More information is available at Sheboygan's Department of Public Works website and the Garbage/Recycling website or call the Help Desk at Mead Library (459-3400, ext. 4) with questions about municipal recycling.
Mead Library is especially interested in receiving materials related to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Great Lakes history and has compiled a wish list of local history materials:
- Sheboygan County Plat Maps: 1916 and 1920
- Sheboygan City Directories: 1877-1885
- Sheboygan City Telephone Books before 1957
- Factory Catalogs of Manufacturers Located in the City of Sheboygan
- City of Sheboygan Club and Organization Souvenir Booklets
- City of Sheboygan Public and Parochial Elementary and Junior High/Middle School Photographs and/or School Yearbooks
- Sheboygan High School Lake Breeze Yearbooks: especially 1905, 1915,1921, but we do have a need for duplicate copies
- North High School Polaris Yearbooks: especially 1940, 1945, 1949, 1953, 1954, 1976, but we do have a need for duplicate copies
- Sheboygan County Christian High School Yearbooks: especially 1990, 1992, but we do have a need for duplicate copies
- Sheboygan City and County Church Anniversary Booklets
- Historical photographs taken within the City of Sheboygan
- Any information and/or photographs of the amusement park located on the south side of Sheboygan
- Any information and/or photographs of Camp Haven located in Haven, WI
- Books published by local Sheboygan authors
If you have questions about donation of used materials, call 459-3400, ext. 2039. More information is included in the library's Gift Policy.
