Surplus Books Program
At all times the Library of Congress has thousands of books available for donation to eligible groups. These surplus books are not needed for the Library’s own use, and so members of Congress may donate them to schools, libraries, community centers and other such organizations in their district.
Eligible organizations and institutions must be located in the United States and fall into one of the following categories:
- Full-time, tax-supported or nonprofit educational institution: school, school system, college, university, museum, or public library.
- Agency of local, state, or federal government.
- Nonprofit institution or organization that has tax-exempt status under the provisions of section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (see 41 CFR 101-44.207 (a)(17)) and that operates a library and/or research center open to the public.
My office is happy to help facilitate your organization's request for Surplus Books. The books consist of a miscellaneous assortment of genres, including children’s books, fiction, non-fiction, reference books, text books, test-prep books and many others. Please be advised that the books in the Surplus Books Program change frequently and are not listed in any database. This means we will do our best to find books that match your interests, but we cannot guarantee the exact books you request will be available. We recommend keeping your requests general (aka “Test-Prep books” rather than “A.P. Biology Test-Prep books”).
To submit a request, enter your zipcode below and you will be directed to the Surplus Books Request form. Once a book request is made, our office will contact you. Please note that book requests typically take many months to fill.
I look forward to working with you to educate Washingtonians and spread the joy of reading!
* marks required fields of data.
If you do not know the four digit +4 extension for your zip code, please check the U.S. Postal Service website for more information.
If you have any difficulties, please phone 202-225-9740 or report a website problem.