Austin Public Library will always have books that need to be retired, but due to city budget cuts, it is closing its dedicated used bookstore. Here's how Austinites can continue donating and buying used books when doors to the Recycled Reads Bookstore (5335 Burnet Rd.) close on January 17.

The Recycled Reads program started in 2009 to reduce materials sent from APL to the landfill. Sellable items (i.e. those in good-enough condition) were gathered from various libraries to one central store in a rented, privately owned space. Books that weren't sold were sent to Goodwill Central Texas, which stripped the bindings and recycled what it could. Besides books, the store also sold CDs, DVDs, art, board games, puzzles, and more.

The language the city is using to talk about the closure and its aftermath frame it as a "transition to its new citywide model for used materials sales." In other words, instead of selling books in one central location, APL will sell them at the libraries themselves. This could be convenient for some book-lovers who prefer to visit their local library, but will result in a more hit-or-miss browsing process.

The transition also includes a new recycling partner, Better World Books, an online bookseller that deals mostly in used books and donates books and funds to literacy programs around the world.

A newsletter from the city alerts shoppers and donors to the following new conditions:

• Accepting fewer materials: Starting today, November 17, APL will only accept four types of donations: Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs.
• Final drop-off day: Donors can stop by the current Recyled Reads Bookstore for the last day on December 31.This is also the last day people can check out or borrow items from the Tool Library collection.
• Maximum donation volumes: All APL locations will only accept two grocery bags or standard boxes (like one that copy paper is sold in) at a time.
• Passport Services is moving: The city operates four Passport Services Offices. The one that was located at Recycled Reads has already transitioned to the Yarborough Branch Library.

The new system will be in effect as of February, 2026.

According to the city, Recycled Reads was losing more than $400,000 per year for the past two fiscal years. The newsletter does not say whether the city considered moving to a space with lower rent; however, it implies it did not. The City of Austin Strategic Facilities Plan says city departments should “reduce the reliance on leased space,” and as a result, the departments have been moving into city-owned spaces when they can.