January Book Event! Bring books, take books!

Name: January Book Event! Bring books, take books!
Start: 2026-01-10T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-10T17:00:00-05:00
Location: 3001 Vineyard Ln, Baltimore, MD, United States, Maryland 21218

Schedule

Sat Jan 10 2026 at 09:00 am to 05:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

3001 Vineyard Ln, Baltimore, MD, United States, Maryland 21218 | Baltimore, MD

We will be open for browsing AND accepting book donations!
It is with heavy hearts that we share news of the loss of one of The Book Thing's most familiar faces, long-time volunteer Bob Stimler. He welcomed thousands of patrons to TBT giveaways in recent years. His joy was infectious, and his dedication, enthusiasm, warmth, and positivity made TBT a better place. He will be sorely missed. Our first opening of 2026, Saturday Jan 10, will be dedicated to his memory.
Book Giveaway: 9am-5pm
We will allow patrons into the building to select their own books, using a timed-entry format. (This is to keep the line moving and serve more patrons when things are busiest.) You may always get back in line. Lines are longest in the morning, but by the afternoons we often have no line at all!!
About 110 patrons will be permitted to enter on the hour each hour from 9am to 4pm. The first entrance will be at 9am, and the last entrance at 4pm. All patrons must exit before 5pm (more details at bookthing.org).
Upon exiting, patrons will need to count their books and sign out the number. (Even if it’s raining, sorry! This is for tax filing purposes).
One parent may be accompanied by a maximum of three children, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. For everyone’s safety, please ensure your children are well-supervised – our kids’ section is always very busy and crowded!
Out of courtesy to other patrons and to facilitate traffic flow, please leave your large boxes/wagons/etc outside the exit door and fill them an armful at a time, rather than carting them around with you.
TBT welcomes trained service animals but is not a pet-friendly location otherwise.
Please keep in mind that now is the season when winter weather can sometimes force last-minute cancellations. Cancellations will be posted to our website and social media if necessary.
***Book Donations: 9am-2pm ONLY***
You're doing such a great job at adopting books, that we need lots more! Bring us books! (We give away THOUSANDS at every single event!)
The place for book drop-offs is NOT where the line to browse is. Please drive past the entrance and Book Thing mural and come to the west side of the building where our garage door is. A volunteer can direct you. You do not need to stand in line to donate.
We welcome all book donations, with NO GENRE RESTRICTIONS, but we especially need popular fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, classics, non-diet cookbooks, science topics, English dictionaries, and Bibles. We find it hard to keep these shelves restocked.
The donation limit is 7 boxes per family. Boxes must be small enough that one person can lift them when full. If you have more, use the Contact us via the website about the rest.
Please feel free to bring back books you've previously adopted! We don't mind.
We also accept all types of popular and hobby magazines, but we can’t accept sets of academic/technical/professional journals.
Have a truckload or a library closing? CONTACT US!
Due to space limitations, we are not accepting media items this month.
No encyclopedia sets please.
If you need a tax receipt for your donation, please mention that right up front. We’ll need to count your books separately. Thanks in advance for your patience!
Unfortunately, we can’t come pick up book donations, but we have volunteers who can unload them from your vehicle at the drop off site.
Next events:
Sun, Feb 15
Sat, Mar 14
Sun, Apr 12
Finally, if you are interested in volunteering with us, please fill out the Contact form at bookthing.org. We are excited to be moving forward on small-group trainings for new volunteers.