Donation Information

Want to make a donation?

We gratefully accepts monetary donations and books in support of correctional libraries and the various programs we organize. Please note that we primarily accept books in softcover only.

For more information please contact us at gelaprisonproject@gmail.com.

Guidelines for donations:

You can send a cheque to the GELA mailbox (address listed at the bottom of the webpage). Please make cheques payable to the Greater Edmonton Library Association (GELA) and add “GELA Prison Libraries Project” to the memo field.

Please note that GELA is not a registered charity and cannot issue official donation receipts for income tax purposes.

If you would like to purchase new books for the library or the Storybook Project, you can visit our wish lists on Amazon.ca (http://www.amazon.ca/registry/wishlist/17D79HIKP2F0M) and have your gift sent directly to us. If you prefer to buy from local bookstores, you may use our wishlists as a guide. Contact gelaprisonproject@gmail.com for more information.

Used book donations:

Although we appreciate the generosity behind all book donations, we can only accept material that is in good condition and (a) fulfills a specific request, or (b) is recently published. The libraries we serve are small and fill up very quickly! Again, softcover is preferred as some correctional institutions will not accept hardcover books.

We will not accept books in poor condition, old magazines, or outdated textbooks. If you are looking for a place to donate this type of material, check out Edmonton Public Library’s book donations page. For information on recycling books, see the City of Edmonton’s reuse directory.

Most requested by topic:

• Indigenous fiction and poetry
• Artist profiles/biographies
• Beading: embroidery, jewelry, Indigenous arts, etc.
• Books on CD (bestsellers)
• Books of quotations
• Crafts
• Drawing/painting (How To)
• Native cookbooks
• Cookbooks for simple home cooking
• Self-care: nutrition, fitness, yoga, addiction recovery
• Traditional indigenous medicine
• Current High School- Chemistry, Physics, Biology text books
• GED preparation
• Rock music biographies
• Astrology
• Dream dictionary
• Palm reading
• Languages–especially First Nations, Metis and Inuit
• Writing handbooks
• Grant and bursary writing guides
• Legal education in plain language (i.e. family law)
• Maternity care

Requests by genre:

• Young adult fiction
• True crime (recently published)
• Fantasy (werewolves, vampires, etc)
• Romance
• Political fiction
• Books made into movies
• Autobiography
• Comics and graphic novels

Other:

• Magazines (People, Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated, Hello, etc)
• Movie soundtracks
• Indigenous music