What to do with old math textbooks?
October 18, 2017 11:26 AM Subscribe
My father in law is a retired math professor, and has a number of math textbooks he is trying to get rid of. He is looking for somewhere to donate them "where they'll be more useful than just recycling them." Is there anything he can do with them/anywhere he can donate them?
Some more details:
- The textbooks are in Vancouver, Canada
- I think there are a few boxes' worth
- They are mostly "First and second year (college) level" but there are some more specialized ones
Some more details:
- The textbooks are in Vancouver, Canada
- I think there are a few boxes' worth
- They are mostly "First and second year (college) level" but there are some more specialized ones
Some organizations that send books to incarcerated people or prison libraries may take math books, especially at that level. There are a lot of restrictions about what materials can be sent, and groups may have their own limitations (storage space, postage, etc.), so it's best to reach out to a group near you first to see if they could use the books.
I have some connections with US-based volunteers who do this work, so PM me if that's helpful.
posted by bbq_ribs at 11:41 AM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have some connections with US-based volunteers who do this work, so PM me if that's helpful.
posted by bbq_ribs at 11:41 AM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Incarcerated people is not a bad idea. Otherwise, unless they are historically meaningful or very recent editions, they are not likely find many takers.
posted by slkinsey at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by slkinsey at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hmmm, some colleges, especially junior colleges/community colleges/whatever they're called in Canada, have STEM study centers that often have small informal libraries stocked mostly with old textbooks, textbook samples sent by publishers, etc. They're meant to act as supplemental study materials. You know, if your assigned textbook's explanation of Topic A doesn't make sense to you, try these three other random textbooks, or do these already made practice problems with solutions in the back. I don't think they see much use, but when they do it's valuable!
I think for this to work, you would have to speak to the person in charge of the STEM center, offer a few books (like four or five) rather than all the boxes, probably drop them off in person, and hit a few different schools.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 11:53 AM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think for this to work, you would have to speak to the person in charge of the STEM center, offer a few books (like four or five) rather than all the boxes, probably drop them off in person, and hit a few different schools.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 11:53 AM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Books for Africa accepts "primary, secondary, and college textbooks (soft and hard cover) with a 2002 or newer publish date." They would have to be shipped to Atlanta, GA (or taken to Minneapolis, MN). They also request (but do not require) a financial donation to cover their approximately 50 cent per book cost of shipping the books to Africa.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 12:11 PM on October 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 12:11 PM on October 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Textbooks for Change is based in Toronto. ("We accept university and college textbooks published in the last 15 years.") News article from last year.
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:13 PM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:13 PM on October 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Rotary is collecting books to distribute in First Nations communities in BC, they mostly want other kinds but I was able to donate all of my first year math textbooks, through a school wide book drive. (I'm also in the lower mainland). Look up rotary? Send me a message and I can send it to the colleague working with rotary?
posted by Valancy Rachel at 4:19 PM on October 18, 2017
posted by Valancy Rachel at 4:19 PM on October 18, 2017
It seems likely to me that he has some older books that are too dated to give to today's students. I think these might be given to a university library. For example, I have my father's text in Projective Geometry. No one studies that now, but it could possibly be useful for some graduate student grappling with an unsolved problem, or a computer programmer working on a computer game.
Also, teachers making up exams often use textbook problems.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:20 PM on October 18, 2017
Also, teachers making up exams often use textbook problems.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:20 PM on October 18, 2017
Some university departments have graduate reading rooms where the more specialized/niche books might be of use. For instance, in Vancouver, depending on what kind of math you're talking about the UBC ICICS/CS reading room might be an option (halfway down this page they say, "If you are interested in donating books to the Reading Room, please contact us. We will accept materials that are suitable for our general collection.")
posted by btfreek at 5:59 PM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by btfreek at 5:59 PM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Would his definition of "useful" include non-math usage? If they aren't books that other places want to use as texts, my daughter's high school collected old books of all kinds to use in various art projects that were really cool. So maybe a school art program would like them?
posted by maxg94 at 6:01 PM on October 18, 2017
posted by maxg94 at 6:01 PM on October 18, 2017
Hey, your Dad is like my Dad! Amusingly, he still has a few of the textbooks he used in uni on the shelves. I liked occasionally browsing them occasionally as a kid, enjoying going from the recognisable to the utterly incomprehensible...
I am sure Vancouver has an active homeschooling scene. If they are quality textbooks, I would post to...try Facebook; search for "vancouver homeschooling" groups, see what pops up; contact the admin and ask if it is okay to offer them up on the group -- some admins may offer to post for you. You may find a homeschool teen who is math-mad and will take as much as you've got.
If there are duplicates, as above, but look for homeschool co-ops, which come in all sorts of flavours but usually involve HS kids, parents if they are young, and privately hired instructors and everyone getting together for loosely structured classes in that. Ours had a lot of donations like that, and they were usually quickly snapped up -- but if you are very keen on them not hitting a recycle bin, offer to pick up the remainders after the co-op members have taken their pick.
(In my experience, secular, "eclectic unschooling" types are your best bets; if there are FB groups for secular teens, try there; people who HS for religious reasons are much more likely to be using a particular curriculum and will not have much interest in stuff that doesn't fit their schooling plan for the year. "Unschool" and "self-directed learning" and "eclectic" and "non-traditional" = better odds; "faith-based," "curriculum-driven," etc, tend to like to stick to pre-packaged curriculum. Also, some communities have a permanent homeschooling drop-in spot; if Vancouver has one, find out if they are happy to put them in their take-a-book leave-a-book area, or if they are sick of being a dumping ground for the entire city's woefully dated textbooks. But if they are good textbooks that will appeal to modern young mathematicians, they should sell, so to speak, with FREE marked on the boxes at a drop-in or co-op.)
Our co-op was occasionally saddled with the dustiest old junk that HS kids had no interest in as all that stuff is on the internet now, etc. He only needs to find a few book aficionado independent learners who love math, but, old textbooks are traditionally a difficult thing to pass on, so tell your father to not take it personally if nobody's interested.
posted by kmennie at 10:01 PM on October 18, 2017
I am sure Vancouver has an active homeschooling scene. If they are quality textbooks, I would post to...try Facebook; search for "vancouver homeschooling" groups, see what pops up; contact the admin and ask if it is okay to offer them up on the group -- some admins may offer to post for you. You may find a homeschool teen who is math-mad and will take as much as you've got.
If there are duplicates, as above, but look for homeschool co-ops, which come in all sorts of flavours but usually involve HS kids, parents if they are young, and privately hired instructors and everyone getting together for loosely structured classes in that. Ours had a lot of donations like that, and they were usually quickly snapped up -- but if you are very keen on them not hitting a recycle bin, offer to pick up the remainders after the co-op members have taken their pick.
(In my experience, secular, "eclectic unschooling" types are your best bets; if there are FB groups for secular teens, try there; people who HS for religious reasons are much more likely to be using a particular curriculum and will not have much interest in stuff that doesn't fit their schooling plan for the year. "Unschool" and "self-directed learning" and "eclectic" and "non-traditional" = better odds; "faith-based," "curriculum-driven," etc, tend to like to stick to pre-packaged curriculum. Also, some communities have a permanent homeschooling drop-in spot; if Vancouver has one, find out if they are happy to put them in their take-a-book leave-a-book area, or if they are sick of being a dumping ground for the entire city's woefully dated textbooks. But if they are good textbooks that will appeal to modern young mathematicians, they should sell, so to speak, with FREE marked on the boxes at a drop-in or co-op.)
Our co-op was occasionally saddled with the dustiest old junk that HS kids had no interest in as all that stuff is on the internet now, etc. He only needs to find a few book aficionado independent learners who love math, but, old textbooks are traditionally a difficult thing to pass on, so tell your father to not take it personally if nobody's interested.
posted by kmennie at 10:01 PM on October 18, 2017
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posted by strelitzia at 11:36 AM on October 18, 2017 [3 favorites]