Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred
The Clock Is Ticking — Here Is Your Plan
I get this call at least twice a week. Someone is moving — sometimes across town, sometimes across the country — and they have hundreds of books. Maybe thousands. They have known about the move for a while, but the books kept sliding to the bottom of the to-do list. Now the move date is real, the movers are booked, and the books are still sitting on every shelf in the house.
I am Josh Eldred. I run the New Mexico Literacy Project out of my warehouse on Edith Blvd in Albuquerque. I handle book collections for people who are moving, and I have built systems around every timeline — from the two-week panic to the two-month strategic plan. This page gives you the exact playbook for your situation.
The core idea is simple: different timelines require different strategies. If you are leaving in twelve days, I do not have time to research every title for maximum value. If you have two months, I can do things that will genuinely surprise you. Both paths end the same way — books off your shelves, out of your moving truck, and into the hands of people who will actually read them.
Here is what you need to know: every book I take goes somewhere useful. The valuable ones get researched, listed, and sold to collectors and readers through my online channels. The everyday reading copies go to Little Free Libraries, Head Start programs, retirement communities, and community organizations across Albuquerque. The truly damaged ones get recycled through proper paper channels. Nothing goes to the landfill. That is the promise, and it is one I take seriously.
Let us figure out your timeline and build the right plan.
Moving in 2 Weeks: Emergency Mode
You are short on time. Here is exactly what to do, day by day.
1-2 Days 1–2: call me
Call 702-496-4214 or text me. Tell me your move date, roughly how many books you have, and where you are located. I will get a pickup on the calendar — tell me your timeline and I'll do my best to meet it. If you are in the greater Albuquerque metro, I'll come as soon as I can fit you into the route.
This single phone call eliminates the biggest problem. Everything after this is just logistics.
3 Day 3: The 15-Minute Triage
Before I arrive, do a quick walk-through of your shelves. You are not organizing — you are scanning. Pull out anything that catches your eye as potentially special:
- Books with dust jackets that look old (pre-1970)
- Anything leather-bound or with gilt edges
- First editions — check the copyright page for matching dates
- Signed copies (check the title page and sometimes the half-title)
- Anything about New Mexico history, Native American art, or the Southwest
- Complete sets of anything — encyclopedias, book clubs, series
- Art books, photography books, oversize coffee-table volumes
- Military history, technical manuals, scientific reference works
Set those aside. Do not spend more than fifteen minutes on this. If you miss something, that is fine — I will catch it during pickup. I look at every book before it goes in the van.
4 Day 4: Box Loosely
If your books are already on shelves, you honestly do not need to box them. I can load directly from shelves into the van. But if you want to get ahead of things, here is the fast method:
- Use any boxes you have — moving boxes, Amazon boxes, liquor store boxes, whatever
- Do not organize by genre, author, or condition. Just load them in
- Keep boxes under 40 pounds so you can actually carry them. Half-full is fine
- Paperbacks can go in grocery bags if you are out of boxes
- Do not wrap individual books in paper or bubble wrap — that is packing time you do not have
This is not a move where your books need to survive a cross-country truck ride. They are going ten or fifteen minutes down the road to my warehouse. Quick and loose is the right approach.
5-7 Days 5–7: I come, I load, I Am Gone
Pickup day. I show up with the van, and I load everything. A typical home library of 500 to 1,000 books takes about two to three hours. Larger collections — 2,000 or more — might take a half day. I have done collections of 5,000 books in a single day.
During loading, I am scanning. I will flag anything I spot as potentially valuable and set it aside for closer examination back at the warehouse. You do not have to be there for the entire process if you have other moving tasks — I just need someone to let me in and show me where the books are.
When I leave, your shelves are empty. One less thing on the moving checklist. One big thing, actually.
What If I Cannot Get There Before Your Move Date?
It happens. Sometimes the timeline is just too tight, or I am already booked solid that week. Here are your backup options:
- 24/7 drop bin: my outdoor drop bin at 5445 Edith Blvd NE is available around the clock, every day of the year. No appointment needed. Drive up, open the bin, place your books inside. Many people do this on their last night before moving out.
- Porch pickup: Leave the boxes on your porch or in the garage with a note. Text me the address and where to find them. I will grab them after you have left. I do this frequently for people on tight military PCS timelines.
- Movers drop-off: Have your moving crew drop the book boxes at my warehouse on their way out. Just coordinate with me in advance and I will make sure someone is there to receive them.
What NOT to Do When You Are Moving in Two Weeks
I have seen every shortcut that does not actually work. Save yourself the frustration:
- Do not list on Facebook Marketplace. You will spend days fielding messages from people who say they are coming but never show up. Tire-kickers are the norm, not the exception. You do not have time for this.
- Do not haul everything to Goodwill. Many thrift stores decline book donations outright, especially in volume. The ones that accept them often recycle the majority. You will burn a Saturday hauling boxes and may get turned away at the door.
- Do not put them on the curb with a free sign. In two weeks of Albuquerque sun, those books will be warped, faded, and damaged. Rain is rare but devastating. And you will still have half of them sitting there on move day.
- Do not dump them. I know the temptation. You are stressed, the truck is coming, and the books feel like dead weight. But these are still useful objects. One phone call to me and they go somewhere meaningful instead of a landfill.
Moving in 1–2 Months: Strategic Mode
More time means better options for you and better outcomes for your books.
WEEK 1 Call Me for a Walkthrough
With a month or two of runway, I start differently. I come to your home and walk the collection with you. This is not a quick glance — I am looking at every shelf, pulling out titles that have real market value, and giving you a realistic picture of what you are sitting on.
Most people are surprised. They expected maybe a few books worth something and the rest destined for a donation pile. What I frequently find is a handful of books that, individually, are worth more than the entire rest of the collection combined. That signed Tony Hillerman first edition. The complete run of UNM Press Southwestern Studies. The pre-war Willa Cather with the dust jacket still intact. These need to be handled differently than the mass-market paperbacks, and a walkthrough gives me time to identify them.
WEEKS 2–3 Valuable Items Get Researched and Listed
I take the high-value items back to the warehouse and research them properly. That means checking recent comparable sales, grading condition against industry standards, photographing each book professionally, and listing them through my selling channels where they will reach the right buyers.
This is the advantage of time. In a two-week emergency move, a signed first edition goes into the same van as everything else and I research it later. With a month of lead time, I can often get those items listed and sold before your move date. That means you see the value returned from your collection while you are still around to appreciate it.
WEEKS 3–4 Pickup of the Bulk Collection
Once the special items are accounted for, I schedule the main pickup. Same process as the emergency mode — I come with the van, I load everything, and your shelves are clear. The difference is that by now, the valuable books have already been handled separately, so you know nothing important is getting lost in the shuffle.
Meanwhile, you have been packing the rest of the house. The books are no longer looming over every other task. They are handled. That mental load is gone, and you can focus on the kitchen cabinets and the garage and all the other things that actually need your attention in the final weeks before a move.
WEEK 5+ Ongoing Communication
After pickup, I stay in touch. If I find something unexpectedly valuable during processing, I let you know. If a buyer comes along for something specific from your collection, I reach out. This relationship does not end when the van leaves your driveway. Your books had a life before you, and they will have a life after you — and I think it is worth keeping you connected to that story when something interesting happens.
Know Your Move Date? Call Now.
The sooner you call, the more options I have. Every day of lead time helps.
Military PCS Moves: New Mexico’s Five Bases
New Mexico has five major military installations. PCS moves happen on DoD timelines, not yours. Books are heavy, weight limits are real, and your library is usually the first thing that has to go. I understand this, and I have built my pickup service around it.
If you are active duty, a military spouse, or a DoD civilian preparing for a PCS, here is the reality: the weight allowance for your household goods is based on rank and dependency status. A typical E-5 with dependents gets around 11,000 pounds. An O-4 gets about 14,000. That sounds like a lot until you weigh your furniture, appliances, clothing, kitchenware, and everything else a family accumulates. Books weigh roughly 30 pounds per standard moving box. A serious reader with 1,000 to 2,000 books is looking at 30 to 60 boxes — that is 900 to 1,800 pounds of weight allowance consumed by books alone.
The math is brutal. Exceed your weight limit and the overage comes out of your pocket. That is a powerful incentive to be selective about what goes on the truck. The books you love — the ones you will actually read again, the ones with personal meaning — those go with you. Everything else needs a different destination. That is where I come in.
I work with service members from all five New Mexico installations. Here is what each base looks like from my perspective:
Kirtland Air Force Base — Albuquerque
Kirtland is the big one. Located on the southeast side of Albuquerque, it is home to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the partnership with Sandia National Laboratories. The base population includes active duty Air Force, DoD civilians, contractors, and a large number of highly educated technical personnel.
The libraries I pick up from Kirtland families tend to reflect this. I see a lot of engineering texts, physics references, aerospace manuals, and the kind of dense technical reading that accumulates when smart people live near a research laboratory for three or four years. I also see plenty of general fiction, kids' books from families that have been cycling through base housing, and the typical well-read household library.
Logistics are simple: my warehouse on Edith Blvd is about fifteen minutes from the main Kirtland gate. I can pick up from on-base housing (with proper coordination) or from any off-base residence in the surrounding neighborhoods — the SE Heights, Four Hills, Mesa del Sol, or anywhere else Kirtland families tend to live.
PCS season at Kirtland peaks in June and July. If you know you have summer orders, call me in April or May. The earlier, the better.
Sandia National Laboratories — Albuquerque
Sandia is technically not a military installation, but the relocation patterns look very similar. Scientists, engineers, and researchers rotate through on multi-year assignments, and when those assignments end, they face the same moving logistics as any PCS. Sandia employees tend to build substantial technical libraries — I am talking about PhD-level collections in nuclear physics, materials science, computational engineering, and related fields.
These collections often include textbooks from graduate school, conference proceedings, bound journal volumes, and reference works that are genuinely rare outside of university libraries. Some of this material has real resale value to other researchers and institutions. With enough lead time, I can identify those high-value items and get them to the right buyers.
Same logistics as Kirtland — Sandia sits adjacent to the base, and I am fifteen minutes away. I work with Sandia families throughout the year, with the heaviest volume in late spring and summer.
White Sands Missile Range — Las Cruces Area
White Sands is the second-largest military installation in the United States by area — over 3,200 square miles of desert between Las Cruces and Alamogordo. The range supports missile testing, space launch operations, and a variety of Army programs. Personnel stationed at White Sands include Army soldiers, DoD civilians, and contractors from across the defense industry.
The libraries here skew technical and scientific, similar to Kirtland but with a heavier emphasis on aerospace, rocketry, and defense systems. I also pick up general collections from families living in Las Cruces, Alamogordo, and the surrounding communities. Some of the most interesting books I have handled have come from White Sands families — mid-century aerospace reference works, early computing manuals, and historical documents related to the Trinity test site and early space program.
Las Cruces is about three and a half hours south of Albuquerque. For White Sands pickups, I coordinate trips to handle multiple collections in a single visit. If you are at White Sands and preparing for a PCS, call me early so I can schedule your pickup as part of a southern New Mexico route.
Holloman Air Force Base — Alamogordo
Holloman is home to the 49th Wing and has a long history with drone and remotely piloted aircraft operations, as well as fighter training. The base sits just west of Alamogordo, at the edge of the Tularosa Basin with the Sacramento Mountains rising behind it. It is a stunning location and a place where people tend to build their lives for a few years before orders take them elsewhere.
Holloman families generate the kind of library you would expect from a mix of fighter pilots, drone operators, and support personnel — aviation histories, military leadership books, technical flight manuals, and plenty of general fiction and kids' books. The technical aviation material can have strong resale value, especially older manuals and historical references.
I handle Holloman pickups on the same southern New Mexico routes as White Sands. Alamogordo and Las Cruces are about an hour apart, so I can often combine pickups from both installations in a single trip. Same advice: call early, especially if you have summer PCS orders.
Cannon Air Force Base — Clovis
Cannon is home to the 27th Special Operations Wing, making it one of the Air Force Special Operations Command's primary bases. Clovis is in eastern New Mexico, about three and a half hours east of Albuquerque on the Texas border. The base community is tight-knit, and career special operations personnel cycle through multiple times over their careers.
The libraries I see from Cannon tend to reflect career military life — books accumulated over multiple duty stations, across many years. Military history, strategy, leadership, and special operations reading are common. I also see the typical family library that travels from base to base until someone finally says enough. PCS weight limits have a way of forcing that conversation.
For Cannon pickups, I coordinate eastern New Mexico routes. The drive from Albuquerque is about three and a half hours each way, so I combine Cannon pickups with any other collections in the Clovis, Portales, or Tucumcari area. Call me at least two to three weeks before your move date so I can build the route.
Weight Limits Make the Decision for You
A 2,000-book library weighs roughly 1,800 pounds. That is 10 to 15 percent of your total PCS weight allowance consumed by books alone. Move the books you love. Let me handle the rest.
Every branch, every rank, every installation — I have done it.
Active Duty or Military Spouse?
I understand PCS timelines. Call me with your report date and I will build the pickup around it.
Call 702-496-4214The Retirement Move
This one is different from a PCS or a job relocation, and I want to be honest about why: when someone is downsizing from the family home to a smaller place — whether that is a condo, a casita, an apartment, or an assisted living facility — the books are not just physical objects. They are a lifetime. Thirty or forty or fifty years of reading, collecting, inheriting, and accumulating. Some of those books came from a parent. Some were college textbooks that somehow survived every move since 1975. Some were bought on a vacation that still matters.
I know this because I handle it regularly. I sit with people in their living rooms and they pull a book off the shelf and tell me about it. Where they bought it, what it meant to them, why they have kept it for decades. I listen. I am not in a hurry. This is not a transaction — it is a transition.
The practical side is straightforward. I do the same walkthrough, the same identification of valuable items, the same pickup of the bulk collection. But the emotional pace is different. If you need to take three visits instead of one to decide what stays and what goes, I take three visits. If you want me to find good homes for specific books — this one goes to your grandson, that set goes to the library at La Vida Llena — I will make sure it happens.
Your books deserve better than a dumpster behind the moving truck, and you deserve better than watching that happen. Call me and I will figure it out at whatever pace works for you.
For more on this kind of move, see my downsizing help page, which covers the full range of what I offer for people moving to smaller spaces.
The Out-of-State Move
You are leaving New Mexico. Maybe for a job in Denver or Phoenix or Dallas. Maybe for family on the East Coast. Maybe retirement somewhere with fewer rattlesnakes. Whatever the reason, you are putting your belongings on a truck that charges by the pound — and your book collection is about to become very expensive cargo.
Let us talk weight. A standard moving box of books weighs about 30 pounds. A serious reader with 2,000 books fills roughly 60 boxes. That is 1,800 pounds of books sitting on your moving truck. At typical long-distance moving rates, the per-pound cost adds up fast. The exact number depends on distance, season, and your moving company, but the direction is clear: every box of books you do not move saves you real money.
The question is not whether to thin your collection — the math answers that. The question is how to thin it intelligently. You do not want to leave behind the signed first edition because it looked like every other book on the shelf. You do not want to haul 200 pounds of textbooks you will never open again. You want to move the books that matter and leave behind the ones that do not.
That is where I come in. I help you identify the books worth keeping — both financially and sentimentally — and I handle everything else. The valuable ones get researched and sold through proper channels. The everyday reading copies go to people who will actually read them. Nothing goes to waste.
If you are already out of state and left books behind, that is fine too. I work with realtors, property managers, and landlords across New Mexico to coordinate pickup from properties where the former resident has already left. Text me the situation and I will figure it out.
Moving Out of New Mexico?
Every box of books you leave behind is weight off your truck and money back in your pocket. Let me handle them.
What Is Actually Worth Moving?
This is the question everybody asks eventually, usually while staring at a wall of shelves and wondering how they accumulated this many books. Here is how I help people think about it:
Always Keep
- Sentimental books. The one your grandmother inscribed. The one you read to your kids every night for three years. The one you bought in that bookshop in Taos on your honeymoon. These are irreplaceable. Move them.
- Books you will actually re-read. Be honest with yourself. Not books you think you should re-read. Books you will actually pick up again in the next year or two.
- Active reference books. If you are a working woodworker, keep your woodworking references. If you are a serious cook, keep your go-to cookbooks. If you have not opened it in three years, it is not active reference.
Probably Not Worth the Weight
- Bestsellers you have already read. If it sold a million copies, you can buy it again at any used bookstore for a couple of dollars. Do not pay to move it across the country.
- Outdated reference material. Travel guides from 2015. Technology books from 2018. Medical references from before COVID. The information is stale.
- Old textbooks. Unless you are actively using them in your career, college textbooks from a decade ago have minimal resale value and zero sentimental value for most people.
- Duplicate copies. You would be surprised how many people have two or three copies of the same book on different shelves.
How to Quickly Identify the Valuable Ones
Some of the books in the "probably not worth moving" pile might actually be worth selling rather than just donating. Here are the quick signals to look for:
- Check the copyright page: if it says "First Edition" and the date matches the original publication, pay attention
- Look at the title page for signatures, inscriptions from the author, or bookplates from notable collections
- Dust jackets on pre-1970 hardcovers add significant value, even if the jacket is in rough shape
- University press books about New Mexico, the Southwest, or Native American topics often have collector interest
- Complete matching sets of anything — even book club editions — are worth more as a set than individually
- Anything published by a small local press in a limited run
Or just call me. I can usually give you a preliminary sense of what might be valuable over the phone if you describe what you are looking at.
Albuquerque-Specific Moving Resources
If you are in the Albuquerque metro area, you have more options than anyone else in the state. Here is everything available to you:
24/7 Drop Bin at 5445 Edith NE
my outdoor drop bin is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year. No appointment. No waiting. Drive up to Unit A, place your books in the bin, and you are done. This is the fastest option for smaller collections — a few boxes, a bag of paperbacks, a stack of kids' books. Many people stop by on their way to the airport or on the last night before a move. The bin can hold a substantial amount, but if you have more than about ten boxes, call me for a pickup instead.
Free Pickup Across the Metro
I pick up from everywhere in greater Albuquerque — the Heights, the Valley, the West Side, the North Valley, South Valley, Corrales, Rio Rancho, the East Mountains, Tijeras, Edgewood, and Bernalillo. I schedule pickups around your move date, not the other way around. Evenings and weekends are available. I will work with your timeline because I know how tight moving schedules get.
Realtor Partnerships
If your real estate agent is coordinating the sale and you need the house cleared before closing, I work with realtors across the metro. Your agent can schedule the book pickup as part of the pre-closing checklist. This is especially common when sellers relocate before closing and need someone to handle what is left behind. If you are a realtor reading this, see my realtor partnership page.
Property Manager Partnerships
Tenants move out and leave books behind. It happens constantly. If you manage rental properties and need book removal as part of a turnover, I handle that. Free pickup, no cost to the property manager or the tenant. The books are out and the unit is ready for the next occupant.
UNM End-of-Semester Moves
Every May and December, the neighborhoods around UNM see a flood of students moving out. Textbooks, course readers, novels from literature classes, and the general accumulation of a semester or a year of college life. I pick up from student housing, dorms (where allowed), and the surrounding neighborhoods. If you are a student moving out, do not leave your books in a dumpster behind Lobo Village. Text me and I will come get them.
Snowbird Departures
October and November bring the annual snowbird migration. People who spend winters in Arizona, Texas, or Florida and summers in New Mexico often use the departure window to clean out books they have finished reading. I see a regular wave of calls in late October from people thinning their shelves before locking up the house. Happy to coordinate pickup before you head south for the winter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you pick up books before my move?
Tell me your move date and I'll do my best to get to you as soon as my schedule allows. For truly last-minute situations, the 24/7 drop bin at 5445 Edith Blvd NE is always available. I also offer porch pickup where you leave the boxes outside with a note and I grab them on my next route.
Do you handle military PCS moves?
Yes. I work with service members and families at all five NM installations — Kirtland AFB, White Sands Missile Range, Holloman AFB, Cannon AFB, and Sandia National Laboratories. I understand PCS timelines and can schedule pickup around your report date. Weight limits on PCS moves make books the first thing to go, and I have handled hundreds of military collections.
Is there a minimum number of books for a free pickup?
No strict minimum. For a few boxes, the 24/7 drop bin is the fastest option — drive up anytime, day or night. For a bookshelf or more, I will come to you. The sweet spot for a pickup trip is usually 50 books or more, but I am flexible. If you are in the area and I am already on a route, I will add a smaller pickup without hesitation.
What if I have already moved and left books behind?
This happens more often than you would think. I coordinate with realtors, property managers, landlords, and even neighbors to pick up books from properties where the owner has already left. If you are now in Texas or Colorado or anywhere else and you left a garage full of books in your old Albuquerque house, text me the address and the contact for whoever has access. I will handle it.
What are the drop bin hours?
The drop bin at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Literally anytime. No appointment. Pull up, drop off, done. It is well-lit and accessible by vehicle at all hours. People regularly stop by at midnight or 6 AM when it fits their moving schedule.
Can my movers drop books at your warehouse?
Absolutely. If your moving crew is loading the truck and you want them to separate the book boxes and bring them to my warehouse, just coordinate with me in advance. I will make sure someone is here at 5445 Edith Blvd NE to receive them. I have done this many times. It works especially well when movers are already making multiple stops on moving day.
Do you take textbooks?
Yes. Current-edition college textbooks from UNM, CNM, and other schools can have resale value, and I will research those individually. Older editions are harder to place but I still accept them — they get donated to organizations that can use them or recycled properly. Either way, they are not ending up in a dumpster.
Are the books insured during pickup and transport?
I carry general liability insurance for my pickup and warehouse operations. Books are handled carefully throughout the process and stored in my climate-controlled warehouse on Edith Blvd. For collections with particularly rare or high-value items, I discuss handling expectations during the walkthrough so there are no surprises.
What happens to books that cannot be sold or given away?
Books that cannot be resold or donated are recycled through proper paper recycling channels. Nothing goes to the landfill. That is my core promise. The vast majority of books I receive find a new reader, either through my sales channels, community donations, or Little Free Library distribution. Only truly damaged or unsalvageable material gets recycled, and even then it becomes new paper products rather than landfill waste.
Do you accept children's books and kids' collections?
Absolutely. Children's books are some of my most-donated and most-needed items, especially during end-of-school-year moves. I distribute kids' books to Little Free Libraries, Head Start programs, elementary school classroom libraries, and community organizations across Albuquerque. Board books, picture books, chapter books, young adult novels — I take them all and they go directly to kids who need them.
Related Guides
Moving Book Donation
Free pickup for your moving-day books
Downsizing Help
Transitioning to a smaller space
Divorce & Separation Pickup
When a household splits — books cleared, discreetly
Military PCS Book Donation
Detailed guide for service members
24/7 Book Drop
Drop off anytime, day or night
How to Pack Books for Donation
Quick boxing tips that save time
Sell or Donate Books
Which path is right for your collection
Ready to Get Those Books Off Your List?
One phone call. I handle the rest. Free pickup anywhere in New Mexico, I'll do my best to work with your move timeline, and your books go somewhere meaningful instead of a landfill.
I am Josh. This is what I do.