What to Do With Old Medical & Nursing Textbooks

Donate old nursing and medical textbooks instead of throwing them out: current editions still help students, older ones serve teaching, illustration and the history of medicine, and only damaged copies need recycling, with the hard covers torn off. In the Albuquerque metro, hand me every one, current editions and outdated ones alike. You don't have to figure out what's still current or what anything is worth; I have a use for the whole lot, and there's almost always something valuable in a medical library. I pick it all up free in Albuquerque. The only thing worth keeping in mind is for your own sake, not the books': don't rely on an outdated edition for an actual medical decision. Past that, just hand me the shelf.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 505-250-3804

Fastest way to clear them: the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, a covered box outside the gate, by the road, takes whatever fits, any hour, any condition. Too much for the box? Come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., when someone is there to help unload, or get on a free pickup route. Directions.

The short answer: bring all of it

People agonize over medical books more than almost any other kind, because they're expensive, they look important, and it feels wasteful to part with them — but also pointless to keep them. Here's the part that settles it: you don't have to make any of those calls. Bring the whole shelf, every edition, and I'll take it from there. There's a use for all of it, and in my experience every box has something worthwhile in it.

About resale value (don't let it stop you)

For the curious: a current edition of a core text — nursing fundamentals, pharmacology, a board-review book — holds real resale value for a short window, the same as any current textbook. Older clinical editions are worth less on the resale market, because medicine moves fast — though landmark and early medical texts are a real exception, and old physics, math, and engineering books are collectible far more often than people expect (see old engineering & science textbooks). But resale value is not the reason to donate, and it shouldn't be the reason to hesitate. Plenty of books with no resale value still have a use, and you're not the one who has to sort which is which.

What's genuinely collectible

Some medical books are collected as rare books entirely apart from clinical use: early editions of Gray's Anatomy, historically important medical works, early surgical and anatomical texts, and finely illustrated anatomical atlases. Vintage anatomical plates have decorative and teaching value even when the text is long outdated. You don't need to spot these yourself — I flag anything antiquarian or beautifully illustrated when it comes in.

The one honest caveat — about care, not disposal

Why nobody else takes them

Nursing and medical schools want only the current edition and won't shelve old ones. Thrift stores reject heavy textbooks that don't sell. Clinics can't use outdated references. So a clinician's life library becomes one of the hardest things to give away despite its original cost — and people end up dumping perfectly useful books out of sheer frustration. That's the gap this service fills: I take what everyone else turns down.

I accept every medical & nursing book

Nursing texts, med-school references, board-review books, anatomy atlases: any edition, any condition, with free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro. Current and usable editions go back out to students and other readers who need them; antiquarian and finely illustrated volumes are set aside; and I have a plan for the rest, including the outdated editions. You don't have to make the call on any single book. That's my job. Students clearing out after a semester or a finished program can find the details on medical and nursing textbook donations in Albuquerque.

You don't have to sort or toss anything

This is the whole point: don't separate the current from the outdated, don't decide what's worth keeping, and please don't throw the old editions in the trash. Bring the entire shelf and I'll route, reuse, and responsibly handle everything on the back end. It all adds up, and there's almost always more value in a medical library than the person clearing it expects.

Frequently asked questions

Are old medical textbooks worth anything?

Current editions have a brief resale window; older ones are worth little. But value isn't the point — bring every edition; there's a use for all of it, and often something genuinely valuable in the box.

Should I bring outdated medical textbooks or throw them out?

Bring them. Don't toss them and don't try to sort them — I have a use for every edition. Just don't rely on an old one for an actual medical decision.

What can I do with old nursing textbooks?

Pass current editions to a nursing student who can use them, don't give an outdated drug guide to anyone as a clinical reference, and recycle only damaged copies, with the covers torn off. Everything else can be donated. In the Albuquerque metro I take every edition, any condition, by free pickup or at the 24/7 drop box on Edith Blvd NE.

Can old medical textbooks be recycled?

Yes. Once the hard covers come off, the pages are paper; the boards, cloth and spine glue are the parts recyclers don't want. Albuquerque's blue recycling cart lists books as accepted, and other cities set their own rules. I'd still make recycling the last step: I sort every medical book that comes in before anything is recycled, and no book goes to the landfill.

Will the library take old medical or nursing textbooks?

Not the Albuquerque and Bernalillo County public library: its donation policy lists textbooks among the items it doesn't accept and asks donors to recycle them. Other libraries set their own rules, so call before hauling a box over. I take every edition, any condition, including the highlighted copies libraries turn away.

Where can I donate medical and nursing books in Albuquerque?

I accept them all — any edition, any condition, free pickup. You sort nothing. Call or text 505-250-3804.