In the back of the library, in the room lined with windows lie bookshelves full of books.  But these books aren’t for checking out.  They are for borrowing. 

Librarian Nichole Ballard-Long recently set up what she calls the Paperback Exchange.  Students and teachers can come and if they donate a book to the exchange, they can take one home.

If they take a book home, it’s theirs.  They don’t have to return it or renew it like all the other books in the library.  The catch is tha inorder to take a book, you have to donate one. 

Ballard-Long said, “You’re trading, essentially.  These aren’t books that I’m buying or selecting.  It’s just space on shelves that people can trade books with.”

This is especially useful for those who recently purchased an electronic book reader and want to get rid of books that they aren’t reading anymore.

The main idea of the Paperback Exchange, however is just to offer a place for students to trade books they don’t read for books they want to read without any cost. 

So far, the system has worked pretty well.  A lot of donators bring books to make space on their shelves, but don’t take any back with them.  Due to this, Ballard-Long has a pretty good stockpile of two bookshelves filled with donated books.

“One teacher brought in six bags [of books] and didn’t take anything.  I think [the Paperback Exchange] will work out quite well,” Ballard-Long said.