Transforming lives through reading, writing, and the power of used books.
Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that provides literacy experiences for tens of thousands of readers each year through inspiring programs and the creative capitalization of books.
Make The Case 2018
Chicago's famous bookcase-decorating competition + bar night is back! Join us on Friday, November 2 for Open Books's Eighth Annual Make The Case at Moonlight Studios in the West Loop!
Volunteer
To get started as a volunteer, please join us for a new volunteer information session!
West Loop
Visit StoreMon-Sat 9am–7pm
Sun 12pm–6pm
651 W. Lake St.
Chicago, IL 60661
312.475.1355 ext.100
Literacy Programs
Open Books transforms students’ reading and writing skills through experienced educators who deliver innovative instruction, passionate volunteers who serve as positive role models and provide enthusiastic support, safe learning environments for practice, exploration, and social-emotional growth, and access to high-quality books and tailored curricula.
Book Donation
Each year, generous readers donate hundreds of thousands of books to support literacy. We sell those books in our stores and online to help fund our programs, use and give them away in our literacy and book grant programs.
Financial Donation
The generosity of donors helps us engage more than 5,000 youth through our literacy programs and give way more than 150,000 books to children and families each year. Together, we can transform lives through reading, writing, and the giving power of used books.
We collect used books.
All books in good condition are welcome, and all donations are tax-deductible. Find out what we take and how to get them to us.
We sell and grant them.
We give books to students in our instructional programs, donate them to educators and students through our book programs, and sell them in our Chicago stores and online.
They fund our programs.
We provide transformational literacy experiences for more than 5,000 K-12 students every year, from reading help through novel-writing.
Volunteers = magic.
Volunteers work with our students, organize our books, staff our events, and make everything happen.