Q. The library no longer has a magazine exchange rack. Why did they eliminate it, and is there any other place that accepts magazine donations?
A. Magazine donation locations often find that supply outstrips demand. This creates culling and disposal work. That is why the downtown library removed its exchange rack in September 2017.
The Dexter and Chelsea libraries still accept magazines but ask donors to use discretion: “Titles should be of sufficient popularity so that people will take as many as they drop off,” says Dexter library director Paul McCann. “Volume is certainly an issue, and we do cull on a regular basis.”
Some senior centers also take magazines. Gabby VanderMolen, volunteer coordinator at Glacier Hills, emails that they should be less than six months old (one month for news magazines), though some magazines, such as National Geographic, hold their appeal longer.
The Ann Arbor Thrift Shop also accepts any vintage of National Geographic and other titles up to three or four months old. “We often receive issues of The New Yorker and sell them consistently,” a member emails.
Many schoolteachers like to work with magazines. You can also try posting an offer on Craigslist.org or Nextdoor.com.
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