Link to article
In his eloquent essay in the 11/7/11 New Yorker, James Wood describes how difficult it was to respectfully de-acquisition the books that his father-in-law spent a lifetime collecting.
No libraries were interested, and second-hand book stores are a dying breed -- those that remain either have no money to buy books or no space to store them.
bookBgone is attempting to buck this trend. While we can't preserve private collections intact -- we can save the books from the landfill and place them in the hands of those who want and need them. We spend our time contacting organizations, ranging from literacy groups to food banks to museums, who may have an interest in the books. We then ship them off -- at no charge to the giver or the recipient.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
bookBgone Closes Successful Indiegogo Campaign
Well, the very successful bookBgone Indiegogo campaign has closed.
We were hoping to raise $1000 to ship 2000 pounds of books and, in fact, we raised $1920. We're using every penny to ship books to those who want and can use them. We just (yesterday) sent Birch Community Services in Portland, OR, eight boxes of mixed kids and non-fiction, including cookbooks and 'how to' books. Also we sent two boxes to The Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine.
In the coming weeks we plan to deliver another 20 or 25 boxes of books to the Bed-Stuy food pantry.
Do you know of any place that may want/need books? Are you trying to find a place that takes books? LET US KNOW!
We were hoping to raise $1000 to ship 2000 pounds of books and, in fact, we raised $1920. We're using every penny to ship books to those who want and can use them. We just (yesterday) sent Birch Community Services in Portland, OR, eight boxes of mixed kids and non-fiction, including cookbooks and 'how to' books. Also we sent two boxes to The Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine.
In the coming weeks we plan to deliver another 20 or 25 boxes of books to the Bed-Stuy food pantry.
Do you know of any place that may want/need books? Are you trying to find a place that takes books? LET US KNOW!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Storm Affects bookBgone Pickups
The recent unexpected snow storm, with its related power outages has pushed back bookBgone pickups a week or so. We're out and about, but there is just no place for the books! (Our world-wide headquarters is blacked out.)
How are you doing with this freaky weather occurrence? Of course, we're reading.
How are you doing with this freaky weather occurrence? Of course, we're reading.
Friday, October 28, 2011
bookBgone featured in The Millburn Item!
Check out bookBgone featured in the Item of Millburn and Short Hills!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2011, 2:08 AM
THE ITEM OF MILLBURN AND SHORT HILLS
A few months ago, local residents Andrea Hirschfeld and Lois Cantwell started collecting scores of used books from area residents. The duo picked up two books from a woman living in Springfield. On another trip, Hirschfeld and Cantwell went northwest to Montville to collect several hard and soft cover novels.
Taking these trips was how Hirschfeld of Short Hillsand Cantwell of Springfield and formerly of Millburnfounded bookBgone, LLC, a media removal and clearinghouse service for any unwanted books, CDs and DVDs. The two first met six years ago at Congregation B’nai Isreal.
Their goal, Cantwell said, is "to keep books out of the landfills and give them to people who want and need them."
Each day, the duo works out of the basement of Hirschfeld’s Short Hills home sorting through and boxing these books which will then be sent to various organizations. A community center for women in Newark and charter school, a literacy program in Connecticut and Good Sheppard Food Pantry in Maine are among some of the groups that have received books from bookBgone. Recently, Hirschfeld and Cantwell facilitated a donation from the Chatham school system to the Cranford schools after Tropical Storm Irene; and delivered more than 3,000 books to the Brooklyn, N.Y., organization, "BedStuy Fights Against Hunger."
"Families can nourish their souls [with reading] as well as their bodies," said Cantwell.
The duo has so far collected more than 8.5 tons of books in the past 4 1/2 months, which equals 25,000 to 30,000 books. Children’s stories, "How To" help and advice reads, and spiritual books have been among the most popular donated items. Almost any type of novel, hard- or soft-covered book, textbooks and encyclopedias — whole volumes only — are acceptable donations to bookBgone. Wet and water-damaged books are not accepted. The organization will also take any CDs and DVDs.
Any Essex, Union or Morris county resident may participate in this free pick-up service. Occasionally, there are a few exceptions such as when Hirschfeld and Cantwell traveled to Montville. Currently, they are working with a Girl Scout Troop in Ocean County to collect books. People who wish to donate their books or media items must first contact Hirschfeld and Cantwell to schedule a pick-up date. Once the day and time is finalized, Hirschfeld and Cantwell drive to these homes and pick up the books, CDs and DVDs, which are usually left near the curb or on the house’s porch.
"We’re living in a place where people say yes, come get my books," said Cantwell.
"It gets stuff out of people’s homes," noted Hirschfeld.
Donations are not tax-deductible since bookBgone is an LLC partnership. One day Hirschfeld and Cantwell hope to expand their operation by turning bookBgone into a 501c3 or a BCorp, a for profit corporation that can accept donations.
Soon Hirschfeld and Cantwell will move their business out of Hirschfeld’s home to operate of a nearby storage area. Recently they finished a fundraising campaign through the website, www.indiegogo.com, in which they raised almost $2,000 for shipping books to the various organizations they work with.
People who wish to donate their books or media items may contact Hirschfeld and Cantwell at 908-912-6652 or by emailing them at info@bookbgone.com.
E-mail: kelleher@northjersey.com
STAFF PHOTO BY LINDSEY KELLEHER
Local residents Lois Cantwell, left, and Andrea Hirschfeld show off a trunk full of books on Oct. 14 in the Panera parking lot on Morris Turnpike they have collected as part of bookBgone, a media removal and clearinghouse service they started earlier this year. These books will be donated to various non-profit organizations around the United States.
Their goal, Cantwell said, is "to keep books out of the landfills and give them to people who want and need them."
Each day, the duo works out of the basement of Hirschfeld’s Short Hills home sorting through and boxing these books which will then be sent to various organizations. A community center for women in Newark and charter school, a literacy program in Connecticut and Good Sheppard Food Pantry in Maine are among some of the groups that have received books from bookBgone. Recently, Hirschfeld and Cantwell facilitated a donation from the Chatham school system to the Cranford schools after Tropical Storm Irene; and delivered more than 3,000 books to the Brooklyn, N.Y., organization, "BedStuy Fights Against Hunger."
"Families can nourish their souls [with reading] as well as their bodies," said Cantwell.
The duo has so far collected more than 8.5 tons of books in the past 4 1/2 months, which equals 25,000 to 30,000 books. Children’s stories, "How To" help and advice reads, and spiritual books have been among the most popular donated items. Almost any type of novel, hard- or soft-covered book, textbooks and encyclopedias — whole volumes only — are acceptable donations to bookBgone. Wet and water-damaged books are not accepted. The organization will also take any CDs and DVDs.
Any Essex, Union or Morris county resident may participate in this free pick-up service. Occasionally, there are a few exceptions such as when Hirschfeld and Cantwell traveled to Montville. Currently, they are working with a Girl Scout Troop in Ocean County to collect books. People who wish to donate their books or media items must first contact Hirschfeld and Cantwell to schedule a pick-up date. Once the day and time is finalized, Hirschfeld and Cantwell drive to these homes and pick up the books, CDs and DVDs, which are usually left near the curb or on the house’s porch.
"We’re living in a place where people say yes, come get my books," said Cantwell.
"It gets stuff out of people’s homes," noted Hirschfeld.
Donations are not tax-deductible since bookBgone is an LLC partnership. One day Hirschfeld and Cantwell hope to expand their operation by turning bookBgone into a 501c3 or a BCorp, a for profit corporation that can accept donations.
Soon Hirschfeld and Cantwell will move their business out of Hirschfeld’s home to operate of a nearby storage area. Recently they finished a fundraising campaign through the website, www.indiegogo.com, in which they raised almost $2,000 for shipping books to the various organizations they work with.
People who wish to donate their books or media items may contact Hirschfeld and Cantwell at 908-912-6652 or by emailing them at info@bookbgone.com.
E-mail: kelleher@northjersey.com
Thursday, September 22, 2011
bookBgone Featured in Chatham Patch!
bookBgone Recycles Books, CDs and DVDs for Good Causes
August 16, 2011A new volunteer effort by local do-gooders takes books and media items from those who are done with them and delivers them to those who need them.
If you have unwanted books, movies or CDs, Lois Cantwell and Andrea Hirschfeld want to take them off your hands.
The duo recently launched bookBgone, a free-of-charge, media-removal service that is dedicated to recycling, reusing and donating unwanted books. They pick up books, CDs, and DVDS in any condition curbside from your home.
All too often, you may have heard no one ‘takes’ unwanted books, and have often seen them in the trash. But there are plenty of people who want and can use these books. So the pair decided to become a kind of book/media clearinghouse.
Since early June, the two have picked up unwanted books, CDs and DVDs through bookBgone. They then work to put them in the hands of people who want and need books/media, or we reuse or recycle them.
Cantwell and Hirschfeld have donated approximately 1,400 pounds of books, 46 boxes of which (fiction, non-fiction, kids and adult books) were sent to Joplin, Mo. where school libraries were lost in the large tornado disaster earlier this year.
By Cantwell's account, the two have kept approximately 1,800 pounds of material out of our landfills. At this rate they now aim for recycling over 4 tons by the end of 2011.
The two also support a western New York animal shelter and a Hoboken-based community initiative with book and/or media donations. They encourage anyone with alternative ideas for where to donate their materials. They are "especially interested in connecting with armed forces overseas so please let us know if you have any ideas or contacts," Cantwell said.
Currently bookBgone offers service for free to anyone in Essex, Union and Morris counties. However, they will certainly make every effort to help if you live outside this area.
To contact bookBGone, email bookbgone@gmail.com or call (908) 912-6652 for more information, or to schedule a free pick up.
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