Hello Book Thing friends,

At our August opening, patrons adopted 16,535  books and 889 non-books.  We also accepted donations of 17,659 books and 1,910 non-books… plus another 7,801 books and 751 non-books at our second August donation day. Thank you to everyone who was able to come.

Upcoming events

We are delighted to continue our regular series of book giveaways falling on the second full weekend of the month. Limited book donation hours coincide with each public opening. Our regular events alternate between Saturday and Sunday.

We are also hoping it will be possible to add one more extra opening in November. Stay tuned!

Book giveaway: Saturday, Sept 13th, 9am-5pm

The most important thing to know about our September opening is that it coincides with the first day of the Baltimore Book Festival in Waverly… and we are located within the footprint of the festival.  That means lots of book events and book vendors all around our immediate neighborhood – please check them out!  It also means extra traffic, crowded sidewalks, and lots of people who may be discovering TBT for the first time. To prepare for your visit to TBT on the 13th, please visit the festival website at the link above for information about street closures, parking, transit options, festival hours, and the event line-up. UPDATE: We have learned that there will be no parking on Vineyard Lane.

Our own giveaway will be the same as usual.  We will allow patrons into the building to browse for books on September 13th, using a timed-entry format. All lines will form outdoors. Dress for the weather, bring an umbrella if it’s rainy, etc. Expect a busy day!

Here’s what else you need to know:

  • 110 patrons will be permitted to enter on the hour each hour from 9am to 4pm. The first entrance will be at 9am, and the last entrance at 4pm. All patrons must exit before 5pm.
  • Our system is first-come, first-served; there are no reservations – just come get in line!
  • Please don’t be deterred by our format. It helps keep things moving so that you get a chance to browse sooner, and it lets us serve more patrons.
  • Patrons will have 55 minutes to browse our stacks, select their books, and exit the building. The time limit will be strictly enforced. You may get back in line to re-enter… and many patrons do so!
  • The line is always long for the first entrance or two. But we’re often below the headcount limit for entrances in the afternoon, and sometimes even in the late morning as well, in which case there’s no wait to enter.  Sometimes we don’t even have to enforce the 55-min limit. And yes, we still have books later in the day!
  • If a patron exits early – and any time we are below the headcount limit – a new patron who is waiting may enter “on standby” and use the remainder of the 55 minute time slot. This new patron will not be permitted to stay beyond the end of the time slot, extend into the next time slot, or hold their original place in line for a later time slot. Standby entry means you accept that you will have less than 55 minutes to browse.
  • Upon exiting, patrons will form an outdoor line to count their books and sign out (even if it’s raining).
  • One parent may be accompanied by a maximum of three children, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. For everyone’s safety, please ensure your children are well-supervised – our kids’ section gets busy and crowded!
  • Patrons will enter through the red room door and exit through the blue room door.
  • The restroom will be available, but you will not be permitted to enter the building to use it except when it’s your turn to be inside browsing for books. Please plan accordingly.
  • We have spare boxes available to hold your books.
  • Out of courtesy to other patrons and to facilitate traffic flow, please leave your large boxes/wagons/etc. outside the exit door and fill them an armful at a time, rather than carting them around with you.
  • Masks are no longer required indoors at TBT; masking is optional but welcome.
  • Please note: TBT welcomes trained service animals but is not a pet-friendly location.

Book donations: 9a-2p on September 13th

As noted above, the 13th coincides with the first day of the Baltimore Book Festival in Waverly.  Book donors should be aware of street closures and expect delays from extra traffic.  We will open the book donation window on September 13th from 9a to 2p only.  For extra donation hours on other days, please visit our Donate page – we will update it when we can.

We welcome all book donations, and especially classics, science topics, popular fiction, books for children and teens, genre fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, etc.), non-diet cookbooks, and English dictionaries. We find it hard to keep these shelves restocked.

  • Book donation hours are 9am-2pm on September 13. If we have to cancel the book giveaway for any reason, the book donation hours will also be canceled.
  • The book donation window is on the “front” side of our building, next to the garage door. Book donations are separate from the entrance line for browsing when we are open to the public. If you see our mural, keep driving down Vineyard Lane!
  • The donation limit is 7 boxes per family. Boxes must be small enough that one person can lift them when full.
  • We accept all types of books except encyclopedia sets.
  • We accept all types of popular and hobby magazines. We do not accept technical, academic, or professional journals. Please don’t bring us your collection of literary magazines. Magazines must have their covers.
  • Books and popular magazines only, please! Due to space limitations, we aren’t accepting media items.
  • Please don’t bring us books or magazines that are moldy, sticky, stinky, falling apart, or missing pages/covers.
  • If you need a tax receipt for your donation, please mention that right up front. We’ll need to count your books separately. Thanks in advance for your patience!
  • Unfortunately, we can’t come pick up book donations, but we probably have a volunteer who can help you unload them from your vehicle.
  • Please don’t recruit friends to circumvent our quantity limit: our volunteers are already stretched to capacity on donation days. If you have more than 7 boxes of books that you wish to donate, please Contact us separately. We do have a limited number of individual donation appointments available on other dates.
  • We can only accept book donations as outlined above. If you leave books outside of donation hours, you may be cited by the City for illegal dumping.

Volunteer opportunities

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please fill out the Contact form.  We are excited to be continuing with small-group trainings for new volunteers.