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Comment by totalZero | Hacker News Reader

They should try to give the books away for free before chucking them out, no?

The word "free" eliminates an irrational roadblock (13c is basically free but still offers a hurdle) and if one person reads something interesting as a result, then it's a win.

Also, they could box them up and offer each box off for 25c, thus offloading the responsibility of discarding the books onto individuals and preserving the notion of a library as a sanctuary for books.

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>They should try to give the books away for free before chucking them out, no?

The local library where I grew up tried this. It also doesn't really solve the problem of too many books. They would first put up surplus/old books for sale for a quarter or less, and twice a year would hold an event where they put the stock outside on tables and people could just take them for free. They were always left with tons of books even after all that.

It's sad to see books destroyed but they literally can't give them all away, and each building only has so much space.

It's a nice idea, but the library is the place I go when I have books I would rather give away for free before chucking them out. What do I do with the free books I took when I'm done with them/can no longer accommodate them?

Free books are never 100% free ... because bookcases cost money and even if you pile books up on the floor, that is expensive real estate you now can't easily use for another purpose. Hoarders forget that the opportunity cost of storage drives most of their possessions into negative net worth. Source: I have hoarder tendencies.

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