# Run a Book Swap

Part of the Reading Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/reading/guide/index.md)

*6. Reading in Service*

> **6d.** Organize a book swap in your troop, school, or place of worship.

A book swap is a simple idea with real impact: one person's finished book becomes another person's next favorite book. To make it work, you need a plan for collecting, sorting, exchanging, and cleaning up — not just a pile of books on a table.

Start by choosing the location, the date, and the rules. Will people trade one-for-one? Can they bring several books? What condition is acceptable? Will leftover books be donated? Clear rules make the event easier for everyone.

Video: [Host a Book Swap Party (video)](https://youtu.be/jRX9vZqx4AI?si=IViwsmilodCCMP7L)

**Book swap planning** — Four pieces that make the event run smoothly

- [ ] **Promotion**: Tell people when, where, and what kinds of books to bring.
- [ ] **Sorting**: Create simple sections like picture books, middle grade, teen, nonfiction, and adult.
- [ ] **Rules**: Decide how exchanges work before the first person arrives.
- [ ] **Leftovers**: Plan whether extra books go back home or to a donation partner.

> **Tip**
>
> Put a few blank index cards on the tables so people can leave short handwritten recommendations inside books. That makes the swap feel more personal and helps books move to the right readers.

> **Be Prepared! If too many books arrive at once**
>
> - **Sort first, open later**: A short setup pause is better than instant chaos.
> - **Use signs**: Clear table labels reduce confusion.
> - **Assign helpers**: One person can greet, one can sort, and one can answer rule questions.
> - **Keep a donation box ready**: Extras are easier to manage when there is already a plan.

A book swap keeps books circulating through a community. The next option goes one step farther by collecting books specifically for people who need them.

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