How the Camarillo Book-Sharing Program Works

Give My Books Network is a nationwide community book-sharing network. The Camarillo program is the local expression of it. On the donor side, you pack the books and schedule a free pickup. A Local Pick-Up Partner collects on a scheduled service day.

On the request side, schools, after-school tutoring programs, ESL classrooms, senior centers, homeless shelters, and Little Free Library stewards across Ventura County submit requests through the Give ME Books program. Books move from one to the other.

Who Tends to Donate in Camarillo

The donors are not one type of person. CSU Channel Islands graduates clearing out their old room. Older residents downsizing from a long-held home in Old Town. Families managing a parent's estate near Las Posas Estates. Teachers retiring from a long career and clearing classroom libraries.

The thread connecting all of them is that they care what happens to the books.

Who Tends to Request Books

Schools that serve students who don't have books at home. Public libraries running summer reading programs. Senior centers that keep small lending shelves. Little Free Libraries scattered across walkable neighborhoods including parts of Spanish Hills. ESL classrooms working through reading levels. Tutoring programs in underserved areas.

The American Library Association's Book Donation Programs guide describes how community book-sharing programs operate at a national level.