In July, we had an epic turnout for Found Art, where we turned discarded books into works of art.
When books are donated to the library, we assess them to see if we will add them to our collection or sell them through the Friends Used Book Sales, scheduled throughout the year.
If the condition of the book isn't right for either route, the books become the perfect material to be transformed into something else. Middle schoolers were hesitant when I told them to rip the pages apart -- I'm glad to see so many families clearly teaching children to take care of books!
However, if a book is going to meet its demise and be recycled anyway, you might as well convert it into a work of art. There's no limit to the imagination, as you can see here from samples of that day...