Client Basics: How the Network Works

Who's who, how a free pick-up works from start to finish, what your confirmation number means, and where to go next.

Give My Books Network gives your books a second life. You box or bag them up, a local Pick-Up Partner comes and picks them up, and the books go on to new readers. It's free, and you don't need an account. This page explains how it all fits together and points you to the details.

Who's Who#

• Clients are the people giving books. If you're giving books, that's you. (Some places would call you a donor; on the Network you're called a Client.)
• Pick-Up Partners are local family businesses that come to your door and pick up your books. They resell what they can, at bookstores, book sales and online, and share books with schools and libraries through Give ME Books.
• Requesters are schools, libraries, Little Free Libraries and other groups that ask for free books through Give ME Books.

Pick-Up Partners are businesses, not nonprofits, so we can't give tax deduction forms. If you need one, a registered nonprofit is a better fit. See Tax deductions.

How a Pick-Up Works#

1. Enter your ZIP code on our homepage. We show you the Pick-Up Partners who serve it.
2. Tell us what you have and choose a Partner and a day. See Book a pick-up.
3. Confirm by 7 PM the night before. Starting 3 days before, your reminder emails have a Confirm button. If you don't confirm, your Partner isn't required to come. See Confirming is required.
4. Get your books ready. Box or bag them, and set them out by 8 AM on your pick-up day. See Get ready for pick-up day.
5. Your Partner picks them up sometime between 8 AM and 8 PM. See Reminders and pick-up day.
6. Tell us how it went. A short review after every pick-up keeps Partners accountable. See After your pick-up and How we choose and watch our Pick-Up Partners.

When No Partner Can Book You Right Away#

Sometimes no Pick-Up Partner covers your ZIP code yet, the Partner for your area is full, or your pick-up is smaller than they can take. Then you can send an Out-of-Area request. It goes out to the Pick-Up Partners near you, and the first one who can fit it in takes it.

Out-of-Area requests aren't scheduled right away, and they can take a while. Please read Out-of-Area requests: what happens next so you know exactly what to expect.

Your Confirmation Number#

Every request gets a number. The letters at the start tell you what kind it is:

• RC is a pick-up you booked on our website with a Partner who serves your area.
• PU is a pick-up you booked on a Pick-Up Partner's own website.
• OA is an Out-of-Area request. It doesn't have a date yet. See what happens next.

Keep your confirmation email. It has the buttons to change your details, reschedule or cancel, and it's how your Partner reaches you. Lost it? See Find your request.

Where to Go Next#

• What we take, and what we don't
• Book a pick-up
• Get ready for pick-up day
• Change, reschedule or cancel
• Give ME Books, for schools, libraries and groups
• Become a Pick-Up Partner