Friends of the Brown County Library

Help the Friends with a Donation of Books

Your donations of books are accepted all year long!

Our activities are, of course, centered around books. Each year, we contribute over $50,000 to support the continuing needs of the Brown County Libraries, and a significant share of that comes from our fundraising activities such as our Big Book Sales of used books. In addition, new books are needed as gifts to kids of families in need through our Give-A-Kid-A-Book campaign. We invite you to help us with your donations of books.

For more information about these activities, please click the link to go to those specific pages on this website:

our Give-A-Kid-A-Book page

our BIG Book Sale page

Donate New Books to the Give-A-Kid-A-Book Campaign

Help every child discover the joy of receiving one’s very own book as a holiday gift.

The Friends' Give-A-Kid-A-Book (GAKAB) Campaign starts in early November with the campaign kickoff, and runs until mid-December, when the books are brought to a center to be distributed to families.

Check out below on how you can donate.

Donate Money and Let the Library Buy the Books for GAKAB

Consider the option of donating money to GAKAB instead of books. The library will take your money donation any time of year and purchase books on your behalf, to be put towards GAKAB!

To donate by check, make checks payable to “Friends of BCL - GAKAB” and mail or bring it to the Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI 54301.
To donate online with a credit card, click the following button to take you to our donation page (be sure to designate GAKAB as your intention): Donate Funds to GAKAB

Buy the Books Yourself and Donate Them to GAKAB

When to Buy and Donate:

You can buy and donate books for GAKAB all year long! However, be aware that your dollar may go further if you buy during the GAKAB Campaign, when designated local retailers (see below) usually offer discounts to you and benefits to the Friends.

Where to Bring The Books:

Your book donations can be dropped off at any Brown County Library location at any time - just let the library staff know that the books are for GAKAB.

In addition, once the GAKAB campaign kicks off, you can also drop off your book donations at any Give-A-Kid-A-Book donation box! Boxes can be found at any Brown County Library Branch, any Green Bay area Nicolet National Bank branch, Lion’s Mouth Bookstore, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, the Green Bay area YMCAs, and several other locations throughout the county.

What Books to Buy:

Donated books must be NEW, unwrapped, and unmarked, and that are fun for babies, children, or young adults up to age 18. Not sure what books to buy? Check out these sources for ideas:

GAKAB Wish Lists
The Friends maintain a GAKAB online wish list of book titles year around on amazon.com. During the GAKAB campaign, Lion's Mouth Bookstore posts a GAKAB wish list both in their store (211 N. Washington St. in Green Bay) and also online at lionsmouthbookstore.com.
Library Book Suggestions
In early November in anticipation for holiday gift giving, the Library posts a list of book suggestions for children and teens. This list is also appropriate for choosing books to donate to GAKAB. Click to view the Library's 2023 Best Books for Gift Giving (this link is updated every November).

How to Shop (online or in person)

Shop Online
To shop online, visit either lionsmouthbookstore.com, barnesandnoble.com, or amazon.com .
Shop in Person
To shop in person, go to either Lion's Mouth Bookstore (211 N. Washington St, Green Bay) or Barnes and Noble Bookstore (2498 S. Oneida St, Ashwaubenon). Check out this Buying Guide from the 2023 Campaign for the many ways to support the GAKAB Campaign.
Barnes and Noble Book Fair
Throughout the year, Barnes and Noble holds in-store book fairs as fundraising promotions for schools and non-profits. As a special promotion during the GAKAB Campaign, you can further support GAKAB by shopping at the Barnes and Noble Book Fair featuring GAKAB, which is held in mid-November at the Barnes and Noble store in Ashwaubenon.

As part of the Book Fair, GAKAB is issued a code. On the day of the Fair, when you shop for both your personal and GAKAB book purchases and present the code at checkout, a percentage of the net proceeds from all sales that use this code will go to GAKAB. You can also earn these Book Fair rewards for GAKAB when you shop Barnes and Noble online, on the day of the Book Fair and a few days thereafter, and use the Book Fair code at checkout. The Book Fair code and instructions will be listed here when the Fair is scheduled in November.

Donate Used Books for the BIG Book Sale

Donations of gently used books and other items may be dropped off at any Brown County Library during regular open hours. For donations of 6 or more boxes, or if you need assistance unloading, please drop off at the Central Library during the following hours:

Monday-Friday 9 am-3 pm

Saturday 9 am-Noon

Suitable donations include:

Paperback and hardcover books in good condition
Cookbooks
Children's books
Sheet Music
Jigsaw puzzles with no missing pieces
Rare and valuable items
Travel and health/wellness books of the current year and previous year only

Experience tells us we cannot sell the following:

CDs (either books or music)
DVDs
Cassette tapes (either books or music )
VHS tapes
Video games
Records
Computer software
Torn, soiled, heavily marked, or mildewed materials of any kind, or yellowed paperbacks
Books with missing pages
Textbooks
Encyclopedias
Antiquarian books (published prior to 1960), unless considered in the "Rare and Valuable" category above
Reader’s Digest Condensed Books
Magazines, including Time, Reader’s Digest, National Geographic, and Prevention
Outdated (more than 5 years old) computer books, medical texts, tax guides, almanacs, law books or training manuals
Oversized coffee table books
Travel or health/wellness books more than two years old

Thank You! Your donations are very much appreciated!

Our Big Book Sales are the primary fundraisers for the Friends of the Brown County Library.

All proceeds from the sales benefit the Brown County Library and are used to fund library equipment,

programs and materials.

The Friends of the Brown County Library is a

501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI 54301