Donate Books and Materials
Donate books to our annual Book Fair or contact a curator about donating an item to the Newberry's collection.
The Newberry accepts donations of used books for our annual Book Fair.
Donate to the Newberry Book Fair
We couldn't hold the Newberry Book Fair every year without your help. All books sold during the event are donated by readers like you.
Book Fair donations are accepted between October 15 and June 30 and can be dropped off between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm, Monday through Saturday at the Newberry’s north entrance off of Oak Street. Please ring the bell at the door for entry and place donations in the box just inside the door. If you're dropping off more than 10 boxes, we ask that you contact us in advance at (312) 255-3581 or via email.
We accept books in all genres. We ask that you do not donate the following:
- Reference books such as encyclopedias and dictionaries
- Textbooks
- Magazines, newspapers, posters, calendars, and bookmarks
- Playbills
- VHS cartridges, cassettes tapes, 8-track cartridges, Laser Discs, 45rpm or 78rpm records, reel-to-reel tapes
- Household items, electronics, and non-book items
- Books that have torn and missing pages or water damage
We regret that we are unable to pick up books.
Donations are tax deductible. We can provide you with a receipt when you make your donation.
Donate to the Collection
Newberry curators focus on collecting original and primary sources such as manuscripts and early editions of printed books and maps. We also selectively acquire secondary literature that will help users access and use original source material. Examples of secondary literature include scholarly editions of primary sources, reference tools, monographs, journals, and digital resources.
If you are considering a gift of materials to the Newberry, please get in touch with the appropriate curator or librarian. Contact information for our staff is included below, by collecting area.
Will Hansen
Curator of Americana and Director of Reader Services
(312) 255-3527
Email
(This collecting area includes colonial-era Latin America and the Philippines.)
Will Hansen
Curator of Americana and Director of Reader Services
(312) 255-3527
Email
Jill Gage
Bibliographer for British Literature and History
(312) 255-3635
Email
Matthew Rutherford
Curator of Genealogy and Local History
(312) 255-3671
Email
Jill Gage
Custodian of the John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing
(312) 255-3635
Email
Alan Leopold
Director of Collection Services
(312) 255-3629
Email
David Weimer
Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps and Director of the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography
(312) 255-3523
Email
(This collecting area includes Continental European literature, history, and culture.)
Suzanne Karr Schmidt
George Amos Poole III Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts
(312) 255-3645
Email
Alison Hinderliter
Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts
(312) 255-3694
Email
Alison Hinderliter
Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts
(312) 255-3694
Email
Will Hansen
Curator of Americana and Director of Reader Services
(312) 255-3527
Email
Jo Ellen Dickie
Reference Librarian
(312) 255-3522
Email
Have a Question?
Get in Touch
For information about donating used books to the Newberry Book Fair, call (312) 255-3581 or send us an email.