Book Thing of Baltimore Inc

I took my daughter and her friend to The Book Thing for the first time in April 2024. It was an easy process with many friendly and very helpful people to guide us through before and once we entered. It really is overwhelming to see how many books are there for anyone to take. So nice.
The girls each chose 4 books and we left shortly after that. The checkout process was super simple too.
The next part, wasn't great.
After we jumped in the car, we drove around back to the donation area. There was a small lot, a pop up tent and a few people working. I parked and hopped out with 2 bags of books we were going to donate. I walked up to the table and the man working there told me they were not taking donations... that it was after 2pm. It was 2:10, ok. However, the tent was out. The doors were open. People were working and taking books in off of the tables. Others were picking up boxes of books off the ground. And the SIGN THAT SAID "DONATIONS" WAS STILL ON THE STREET.
I asked If I could drop off since they were all still there, still picking up books and still moving them inside. He said "no". I said, but your sign is still there saying that you are taking donations... Are you telling me you don't want my books? He said no. So, I took my books back to the car and left with a bad taste in my mouth and a bad impression of this seemingly lovely service.
Too bad.

Phenomenal institution. It was much larger and more impressive than I expected. So many cool books in basically every topic area. There's something for everyone! I was able to find some super cool books on some niche science topics, and there is a massive selection of every genre of literature, foreign language books, magazines, and many other topics. The time limits and time frames for both browsing and donations are strictly (and understandably) enforced, so plan your visit accordingly. Parking is also tight, so be prepared to potentially park a street over.

FREE BOOKS! You wait in line to get on, but it's worth it. It's also nice to have a place to donate books I don't want anymore.

Found some gems! Love the format, but I do wish they limited each hourly rush to 75 or 80 people instead, it was still pretty crowded with 100

Amazing concept, I love coming here! Parking lot is free, but full most of the time. Bring books if you want to donate, but not required. Take as many books as you like! When you inevitably fill your arms with books there is a pile of boxes for you to grab and use. Make sure to sign out when you're done!