MIT’s Sustainable Approach: Used Books Empower Public Service Initiatives

On a hot September day, members of the MIT community and neighbors in Cambridge, Massachusetts, marked the beginning of the academic year by attending a used book sale in the Kendall/MIT Open Space. Selections ranged from children’s books to coffee-table showpieces, and everything in between. With multiple tables filled to the brim with donated books, there were picks to fill any bookshelf, office, or bedside table.

A fan favorite for many years, the book sale raised $1,533 to benefit the MIT Community Service Fund (CSF). Established in 1968 by the MIT faculty, the CSF provides financial resources to support MIT students, faculty, and staff volunteers in local public service initiatives. From strengthening relationships between the Institute and surrounding communities to funding service projects that offer educational value to MIT students, the organization’s founding principles remain at the heart of CSF’s work. The CSF is wholly supported by generous donations from MIT community members — and from events such as the used book sale.

The book sale also created awareness about the CSF’s integral efforts to empower MIT volunteerism and strengthen local nonprofits. The book sale revenue will be used to help support grant applications for innovative service projects that benefit the Cambridge and Greater Boston area.