Watch the following video for a short visual overview on Simply Textbook university collections. It’s a little out of date since the time it was created, but it’s enough to give you a taster. It will be updated in due course.
Where Simply Textbook collects from ๐
Simply Textbook is very happy to collect from any university location in England, Scotland and Wales. (Please note, this may in some cases be subject to minimum quantity requirements).
Since being established in 2017, Simply Textbook has had the tremendous pleasure of collecting books from staff at the following universities:
Aberdeen ๐ Aberystwyth ๐ Anglia Ruskin ๐ Bangor ๐ Bath Spa ๐ Bedfordshire ๐Birkbeck ๐ Birmingham ๐ Bolton ๐ Brunel ๐ Buckingham ๐ Cambridge ๐ Cardiff ๐ Central Lancashire ๐ Chester ๐ City ๐ Coventry ๐ Dundee ๐ Durham ๐ East Anglia ๐ Edge Hill ๐ Edinburgh ๐ Essex ๐ Falmouth ๐ Glasgow ๐ Glion Institute of Higher Education ๐ Glyndลตr ๐ Goldsmiths ๐ Hertfordshire ๐ Hull ๐ Imperial College ๐ Keele ๐ King’s College London ๐ Lancaster ๐ Leeds Trinity ๐ Leicester ๐ Liverpool John Moores ๐ London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine ๐ Loughborough ๐ Manchester Metropolitan ๐ Newcastle ๐ Northumbria ๐ Nottingham ๐ Nottingham Trent ๐ Open University ๐ Oxford ๐ Oxford Brookes ๐ Plymouth ๐ Plymouth Marjon ๐ Robert Gordon ๐ Salford ๐ Sheffield ๐ Sheffield Hallam ๐ Southampton ๐ Southampton Solent ๐ South Wales ๐ Stirling ๐ Strathclyde ๐ Sussex ๐ University Academy ’92 ๐ University College London ๐ Wales Trinity St David ๐ Warwick ๐ Wolverhampton ๐ York ๐ York St John
We are always very keen to add to this list! It is our ambition to collect from every university in the country!
Minimum or maximum quantity? ๐งฎ
If you have received an email from Simply Textbook offering you a collection at your university on a specific date, whether you have 1 book or 100, there is no minimum or maximum quantity restriction.
If you have proactively contacted Simply Textbook requesting a collection, this may be subject to a minimum quantity requirement. This would usually be at least a few hundred to make the trip economically viable. This may increase or decrease depending on your location, and if it is possible to combine your collection with others in your area, or en route to your area.
Who we collect from ๐งโ๐ซ
Simply Textbook would love to hear from any member of university staff that needs to safely and conveniently relinquish any books they no longer require.
Perhaps you are a Professor approaching retirement, or an Admin or Facilities Manager tasked with clearing an office in a hurry. Please contact us, and we will be very happy to assist.
What we can accept โ
Books of an academic nature are preferred. However, we never cherry pick the ‘best’ books and leave the rest! We are very happy and grateful to collect ALL books that you present for collection.
That is: any published book with an ISBN (or pre-dating ISBN). Academic and non-academic. Fiction and non-fiction. ANY subject, genre, language, age, condition. Any published book with an ISBN, full stop.
Simply Textbook DOES also now accept music CDs and movie DVDs/Blu-Rays (no audio or VHS cassettes); and gaming console discs.
What we can’t accept โ
Simply Textbook does NOT accept the following:
Academic journals, periodicals, brochures, pamphlets, magazines, manuals, directories, dissertations, or any other item that does not have an ISBN and is not a published book.
How we collect ๐
Unlike some other book collectors and collection services, we always come to you and collect directly from where your books are located.
We do not ask you to move the books anywhere further than outside your office door, and we require no heavy lifting from you at all. No picking and choosing takes place, all the ISBN published books that you present for collection will be collected.
We always bring our own loading crates and a trolley. You can choose to load the books into boxes, or leave them loose.
Our van can carry up to a maximum of around 1600 average sized/weight books in one trip. If you think you may have more books than we can carry in one visit, please let us know in your request form.
Particularly with the increased levels of home working since the Covid pandemic, Simply Textbook is very happy to collect from home addresses within a reasonable distance from the campus.
For home collections, we do not come into your home to remove books from bookcases. The books MUST be boxed or bagged up in advance of our arrival, and be ready for collection at ground level. We prefer the boxes/bags to be left outside your front door, provided the books are adequately wrapped up so as to avoid any threat of rain damage.
Payments ๐ท
We do not offer payment for any books.
Collections for serving and recently retired (within last 2 years) members of staff at any university in England, Scotland and Wales are always offered free of charge.
COLLECTIONS FOR NON-UNIVERSITY STAFF
Simply Textbook can collect from members of the general public unconnected to a university. This could either be from a home or work location.
Price
From 1st June 2023, a fee applies for all non-university collections. Non-university means any person that is not a serving or recently retired (within last 2 years) university staff member with an “.ac.uk” email address.
The standard charge for collections is ยฃ25.
An additional surcharge may apply, taking into account factors such as location, quantity, age/condition of the books, ease of collection, etc.
Geography
Geography is usually the most important factor in determining if your collection is viable. It may or may not always be practical to collect from your location. The closer you are to a large concentration of universities (e.g. London, East and West Midlands, North East, North West, Bristol & Bath, South Wales) the more likely it is that Simply Textbook can collect.
It is less likely that collections can take place in areas with a very low concentration of universities that Simply Textbook regularly visits. This includes Devon & Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Kent, Suffolk, rural Scotland, rural Wales. This list is not exhaustive, and is always determined by our unpredictable schedule.
A minimum or maximum quantity restriction may apply, and/or we may ask you to wait until we are next in your area. To keep things as economical and environmentally responsible as possible, duplication of trips within a short space of time is avoided.
Books without ISBN
If the majority of your books do not have a barcoded ISBN, it is very important that you specify this in your request form. Books that do not have ISBN/barcode take considerably longer for us to process than those that do. Simply Textbook lacks the time and expertise to handle such books, we are not the best outlet for them. A significantly higher fee will be applied to your request if the bulk of your books pre-date ISBN.
We do not come into your home – leave the books outside if possible
We DO NOT come into your home to package up your books, or remove any books from your bookshelves. Your books MUST be packaged up in boxes or bags in advance of our arrival. It is preferable for the boxes/bags to be left outside your property, adequately covered to prevent any threat of rain damage.
Small quantities
If you have a very small quantity of books for collection, we would usually strongly advise you to donate the books directly to your nearest Oxfam or British Heart Foundation shop. Both normally accept books in most of their stores.