While our library appreciates offers of German book donations, we have been inundated with so many donations lately that we've had to set some limits on the number and types of books we are able to accept.
The focus of our small lending library is on contemporary Germany:
we are not an archive and do not collect antiquarian books. We are well stocked in the classics of German literature. Our library only houses about 5,000 books total and there is no room to absorb titles that don't fit our collection profile.
We are happy to entertain donations of no more than 30 books at a time. As a rule of thumb, we are not interested in titles published more than 25 years ago. Dated reference books, encyclopedias, collected works sets, coffee table books, magazines, audiovisual materials, and books in poor condition will not be accepted.
Donated books that don't end up in our collection are offered to patrons, students and visitors on our library's 'free book' cart.
We are not aware of any US-based organizations that take donations of German language books; neither the area German schools, nor the few remaining German language congregations accept donations anymore.
You are welcome to contact us at
library-newyork@goethe.de if you'd like to donate a small selection of books in good condition, provided they meet our donation criteria. We do not have the capacity to pick up book donations.
Where can I find out what my German books are worth?
The staff of the library is not trained in assessing the value of antiquarian German books. Please visit the following website, which also lists contacts to German antiquarian book dealers, to ascertain if you are in possession of a valuable volume:
Central Registry of Antiquarian Books
