Prison Books Collective

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Carrboro, NC
Prison Books Collective

Prison Books Collective is an NC-based nonprofit founded in 2006 that sends hundreds of books to people in NC and AL prisons and jails each month.

08/12/2026

A recent request that we answered with thrillers and legal help. People in isolation have a particularly high need for (thick) free books!

08/02/2026

There's nothing like when we have the EXACT book someone was looking for! If you've ever donated to the many curious readers behind bars (see our posts about dropoff events), thank you.

07/28/2026

We’re back for our monthly book donation events at the Carrboro Town Commons parking lot - this Saturday, August 1 from 1-2pm! 📚📦

Look for volunteers with signs! Read below for more information on what we can and can’t accept.

RULES: Please, only GOOD CONDITION PAPERBACKS of the topics listed below. No hardcover, spiral-bound, or marked-in books. We cannot use content about tattooing or with pictures of nudity. If you bring a part of a series, please bring all the books that came before it too! (Preferably rubberbanded together.)

ACCEPTED BOOK GENRES AND TOPICS:
Beginner’s computer science (only *recent* books)
Books in Spanish (any type for general audiences)
Business and nonprofit guides
Christian fiction
Cookbooks
Dictionaries & thesauruses
DIY/Labor (e.g., carpentry, automotive repair)
Drawing/coloring as well as sudoku + other activity books
Exercise/yoga
Fantasy books (only bring sequels if you bring all the ones before it, and please rubberband series together!)
Foreign language dictionaries
GED prep books
Graphic novels (no nudity)
Homesteading/wilderness survival
Horror
Large print books of all kinds for general audiences
Law (criminal + civil)
Manga
Math/Science
Pagan/New Age
General psychology
Sci-Fi (only bring sequels if you bring all the ones before it, and please rubberband series together!)
Self-help
Thrillers
True Crime
Urban Fiction
Westerns

Books that don’t fit these categories or rules will be given to the Carrboro Really Really Free Market 🫶

07/13/2026

Thank you to our volunteers for making June such an incredible month, helping reduce the isolation of imprisonment for so many incarcerated readers.

Want to join an upcoming workday volunteer shift? Head to the link in our bio and fill out the PBC Volunteer interest form. We’d love for you to join us!

07/05/2026

Last week two of our volunteers gave a presentation about PBC’s work to support incarcerated people to about 30 campers at the Chapel of the Cross summer camp. They gave us about 50 letters with their art, jokes, and sweet words to send to people in prisons that have banned free books. 🤍 Swipe to read some!

06/28/2026

We will not be holding our regular donation drop-off events at the Carrboro, Durham, and Raleigh Really Really Free Markets this month due to high temperatures. If you have donations for us, please hang onto them until August. 🤍📚

06/24/2026

We need a new printer! 🖨️ Each year we print thousands of pages of zines, and our printer has reached the end of its lifespan. If you can pitch in or just share this post, it will help us grow our capacity to send zines to prisons! 💌 Our goal is to raise $350 to purchase a reliable printer, and any extra funds will go to postage and other operational costs. Find our Venmo at or PayPal at the link in bio.

06/05/2026

Donate books this Saturday, June 6 from 1-2 PM at the Carrboro Town Commons parking lot – we’ll be there right before the Carrboro Really Really Free Market!

Look for volunteers with signs! Read below for more information. 🚨 NOTE: we will NOT hold a donation drop-off event in July due to heat.

RULES: Please, only GOOD CONDITION PAPERBACKS of the topics listed below. No hardcover, spiral-bound, or marked-in books. We cannot use content about tattooing or with pictures of nudity. If you bring a part of a series, please bring all the books that came before it too! (Preferably rubberbanded together.)

ACCEPTED BOOK GENRES AND TOPICS:
Beginner’s computer science (only *recent* books)
Books in Spanish (any type for general audiences)
Business and nonprofit guides
Christian fiction
Cookbooks
Dictionaries & thesauruses
DIY/Labor (e.g., carpentry, automotive repair)
Drawing/coloring as well as sudoku + other activity books
Exercise/yoga
Fantasy books (only bring sequels if you bring all the ones before it, and please rubberband series together!)
Foreign language dictionaries
GED prep books
Graphic novels (no nudity)
Homesteading/wilderness survival
Horror
Large print books of all kinds for general audiences
Law (criminal + civil)
Manga
Math/Science
Pagan/New Age
General psychology
Sci-Fi (only bring sequels if you bring all the ones before it, and please rubberband series together!)
Self-help
Thrillers
True Crime
Urban Fiction
Westerns

Books that don’t fit these categories or rules will be given to the Carrboro Really Really Free Market 🫶

05/30/2026

We often hear from incarcerated people how the books, resources, and zines sent by PBC are sources of entertainment, education, and joy. This work, and every contribution to it, makes real, tangible impacts on the lives of incarcerated folks.

05/09/2026

Donate paperback books to imprisoned readers during the Raleigh Really Really Free Market on Sunday, May 10 between 11am and 1pm!! 🫶📚

Look for volunteers with signs! Read below for more information.

Can’t make it in person? Head to the link in our bio to help fulfill our wishlists at local independent bookstores 📚

RULES: Please, only GOOD CONDITION PAPERBACKS of the topics listed below. No hardcover, spiral-bound, or marked-in books. We cannot use content about tattooing or with pictures of nudity. If you bring a part of a series, please bring all the books that came before it too! (Preferably rubberbanded together.)

ACCEPTED BOOK GENRES AND TOPICS BELOW!

❤️ We are in particular need of SPANISH FICTION! ❤️

Beginner’s computer science (only *recent* books)
Books in Spanish (any type for general audiences)
Business and nonprofit guides
Christian fiction
Cookbooks
Dictionaries & thesauruses
DIY/Labor (e.g., carpentry, automotive repair)
Drawing/coloring as well as sudoku + other activity books
Exercise/yoga
Fantasy books (only bring sequels if you bring all the ones before it, and please rubberband series together!)
Foreign language dictionaries
GED prep books
Graphic novels (no nudity)
Homesteading/wilderness survival
Horror
Large print books of all kinds for general audiences
Law (criminal + civil)
Manga
Math/Science
Pagan/New Age
General psychology
Sci-Fi (only bring sequels if you bring all the ones before it, and please rubberband series together!)
Self-help
Thrillers
True Crime
Urban Fiction
Westerns

Address

PO Box 625
Carrboro, NC
27510

Website

http://prisonbooks.info/

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