UC Books
All About UC Books
UC Books began in 1979 as a small, annual sale offering affordable books to students. More than forty years later, our volunteers collect and assess over 100,000 books annually; operate a year-round bookshop in the college; and organize a large sale every fall.
Proceeds from UC Books support University College students and the wider UC community through the University College Books Bursary, an established endowment that awards bursaries to UC students based on financial need and academic achievement.
All books are carefully examined by our trained volunteers and are sorted to go into either the annual fall UC book sale or the bookshop. Other items are considered for the U of T Library holdings, and some are shared with local non-profit organizations in Toronto and Ontario, as well as with schools and programs abroad in countries such as the Caribbean, Central America, and Africa.
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Fall Sale
We are thankful to our loyal customers and volunteers for a successful 2025 sale.
Our 2026 Fall Book Sale will take place on October 1 - October 4. Check back for details in September 2026.
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Book Shop
The public is welcome to come and enjoy our beautiful space and large selection of used books.
The UC Bookshop is located in Room A102, off the Clark Quadrangle in the main building. The Bookshop is open Monday to Thursday from 11 am to 6 pm and Fridays from 12 pm to 4 pm.
Our shelves are filled with donated books in good condition. We are an excellent source of out-of-print books and have a special collection for rare, old, fragile and valuable items ($3 - $250).
Books are added to our shelves regularly and range from Art, Classic and Current Literature, Canadiana, Children’s Books, Drama and Poetry, History, Philosophy, Social Sciences and Religion to Sciences, Math, Reference, Travel and Mystery.
Prices range from $1.00 and up. Payments can be made in cash or with credit and debit cards.
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Donate
Thank you for your interest in donation to UC Books. We accept used books, LPs, Blurays, DVDs and CDs in good condition. Revenues from the sale of donated books support a bursary fund for UC students.
Donated items are sorted, priced and directed to our shop and various sections of the Book Sale or to appropriate university libraries. Your donations give students access to low-cost reading materials, divert waste from landfills and help keep books in circulation. We are an important source for out-of-print books for readers and collectors.
We accept deliveries in our workroom on the St. George campus by appointment only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We do not accept donations in the UC Book Shop. To arrange a donation drop off please contact us at ucbooks@outlook.com. Please include your phone number in your message and we will get in touch with you by return email or phone to discuss your donation. At that time we will also provide you with instructions about where to find us. If a drop off is not possible, please contact us at ucbooks@outlook.com to see if a pick up can be arranged.
NOTE: We will not pick up any books or accept donations in the workroom between August 1 and October 15 while we prepare for and run the sale.
All books must be packed in LCBO sized boxes, bankers’ boxes or boxes that are 15” X 12” by 10” for easy handling. To avoid damaging your books during transport, please pack books lying flat rather than on end and fill the boxes to the top to permit stacking. Do not fill empty space at the top with paper or plastic because this can cause boxes to collapse when they’re stacked. Please close the boxes but do not seal them with tape.
We regret that we cannot accept:
- Readers’ Digest condensed books, National Geographic and other magazines or journals
- Encyclopedias (some exceptions apply – ask about this when we call or email to discuss your donation)
- Government reports or conference proceedings
- Textbooks more than 10 years old
- Musty or moldy books or books with water damage, broken bindings, damaged covers, heavy highlighting or ink underlining
- VHS or cassette tapes
Thank you for supporting UC Books and U of T students.
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Volunteer
UC Books relies on dedicated volunteers year-round and for our annual book sale. We need energetic, enthusiastic and flexible volunteers who love books to help us at the sale, and during the set-up period and on takedown day.
We are currently accepting inquiries for year-round volunteers. Book sale volunteer opportunities will open in late summer.
Year-round volunteer roles (available now):
Work room volunteer duties include sorting and pricing donated materials.
Pick-up/Drop-off volunteer duties include driving and picking up donations, and delivering them to the work room at UC (where we help unload the donations).
Book Sale volunteer roles (available in late summer and early fall):
Set-up volunteer duties include organizing sections and the books within subject categories. This happens in the week leading up to the sale.
Sale volunteer duties include working at payment desks, organizing and restocking tables of books, assisting customers and answering questions, and other tasks. This happens during the sale.
Takedown volunteer duties include packing up material used at the sale and boxing up books for redistribution. This happens the day after the sale.
Volunteer
If you are interested in our year-round volunteer opportunities, please contact us. Book Sale volunteer applications will open in late summer 2026.
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