Free Book Share Returns to Wayne County Fairgrounds

FREE BOOKS FOR ALL: DROP, SWAP, OR TAKE!

Free Book Share Returns to Wayne County Fairgrounds

The 12th annual the return of the Free Book Share (formerly Free Book Swap) returns to the Wayne County Fairgrounds September 16th and 17th.

Free Books! | No limits!
No requirements to bring books and no limitations on how many you can take! The goal is to see every book into a new home.
Whether you bring ten, one, or none, you are welcome to browse the red metal building on the fairgrounds and fill your arms (bags and boxes) with literary loot. 

The Free Book Share invites everyone–community neighbors, families, visitors, organizations, agencies, businesses, groups, artists, collectors, anyone. Create a home library, leave some in a waiting room or lobby, offer them in a Little Free Library, repurpose for arts and crafts projects…the possibilities are endless! 

This year’s event is one of the two main events during Once Upon a Weekend at the Wayne County Fairgrounds. The Wayne County Public Library is hosting their Family Fun Fair on Saturday! Find more information about it at waynelibraries.org/fff.

Since 2011, this annual event has relocated 150,000 pieces of media, and many went to new homes and families here in NEPA. It is one of the single largest recycling events in our area. In 2022, the event broke records (again!) with 40,000 books donated! 

Come take free books on: 

• Saturday, September 16  from 9 am to 4pm
• Sunday, September 17 from 9 am to 2pm

Where do you go and how does this work? Once you arrive at the fairgrounds, you will park in the main lot just like you would when you attend the fair. Handicapped accessible parking is available. If you have books to donate, please see the information below. Walk through the traditional ticket gate and tell the attendants that you’re here for free books. Pursue the red metal building for as many books tickle your fancy! Box ‘em, bag ‘em, and carry them back to your car. All of the books are free, however we would like to keep track of how many books are rehomed locally for bragging rights. Please let the volunteers know how many you are taking when you exit. Any monetary donations go towards the goal of keeping books out of landfills!! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to SEEDS in advance or at the event. 

Book Donations Accepted  |  Not required

Do you have “a whole bunch of books” to drop off? Book donations of more than an armfull should be counted, boxed up, and brought early! Place the number of books on the outside of each bag or box for quick calculating for our volunteers. The event tracks collection and distribution totals for bragging rights. 

Where can I drop off books? Drive past the fairgrounds main office and follow the signs to the red metal building. Volunteers will be available to help with unloading and accepting your books at the drop off station at the far end of the red metal building towards the back of the grandstand. Monetary to SEEDS are appreciated to help us with the goal of no books ending up in a landfill. You can make a tax-deductible donation in advance or at the event. If you have just a book or two to donate, you can leave them with the volunteers when you arrive at the entrance to be counted and sorted. Please note the donation times and cut off below.

  Donations will be accepted at these times: 

• Thursday, September 14 from 12-6pm        
• Friday, September 15 from 9 am to 6pm       
• Saturday, September 16 from 9-11am    
  • No book donations are accepted after 11am. 
  • Why can’t you take books after 11am on Saturday? It takes a lot of time and energy for our volunteers to sort and get 40,000 books to their shelves for people to take. Volunteers are often still shelving the donations from late Friday when Saturday morning donations start coming. Books that arrive after 11am are often not shelved and not rehomed. We want your books to find new homes, not be recycled because they came late to the party! 

What happens to my books? Every book is counted and sorted into genres for community friends and neighbors to find and take home. Every year, we rehome more than half of the donations locally. In 2022, some 40,000 books were donated and we rehomed 23,000! Any leftover books are sorted for resale with an outside company, or properly recycled due to age and condition. Our volunteers also participate in being “secret shoppers” for Operation Paperback, and we ship around 20 boxes to domestic military families. Monetary, tax-deductible donations to SEEDS are appreciated to help us with the goal of no books ending up in a landfill whether in advance or at the event. 

What’s the fine print or disclaimers? Please do not bring VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, PC games, encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauruses, binders, folders, notebooks, stationary, calendars, sheet music, appliance instruction manuals, or information directories. We do not have an environmentally responsible outlet for some of these items, and a very small percentage find a new home. They either end up in the landfill or are immediately recycled. Magazines are accepted but most are recycled. Please think of our volunteers and the environment by recycling these items with your home waste service, or directly at the Wayne County Recycling Center. Earth911.com and other websites have information about where to send “hard to recycle” items. 

How can I help? 

Volunteers make this event possible! Volunteers assist with bringing in book donations, counting and sorting books, arranging books for shopability safely on the shelves, using hand carts, laughing, chatting, and enjoying a free lunch! We welcome new volunteers to join in the sorting and story-sharing. New or returning volunteers, visit www.seedsgroup.net/volunteer for a full list of opportunities. Individuals and businesses can make monetary, tax-deductible donations to SEEDS to help us ensure no books end up in a landfill. Donations can be mailed to SEEDS, PO Box 765, Honesdale, PA 18431, or accepted at the event. 

Would you like to be involved with SEEDS? Ask us about becoming a SEEDS sponsor or member! 

SEEDS is a nonprofit environmental education organization based in Honesdale, promoting renewable energy and sustainable living in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Upper Delaware region. Its goals include improving the health of our environment and local economy through energy efficiency and sustainability practices, such as energy conservation, healthy local food, and recycling. For more information about SEEDS, visit www.seedsgroup.net.