Where Library Books Go To Die

Ever wonder what happens to the books your local library no longer needs?

Apparently, they end up in the Philippines.

While I was waiting for Shelly's pedicure to finish, I dropped by our local "PowerBooks" outlet, where I found a large dump-bin full of hardcover books, mostly with the plastic-y library book jackets still attached. Digging through the books, they seem to come from all over the country, plus from U.S. military bases overseas, including one from Camp Zama in Japan, a high school library in Connecticut and a number from the Monterey County Library.

Pricing was great at mostly P75 or P99, or somewhere between $1.50 and $2.00. That doesn't leave much profit for the book store or the wholesaler, much less the library.

Shelly and I did our part, though, bringing 11 books home, which after reading, we'll donate to the church's lending library, which the ECW is currently developing.