HELOISE Web site saves used books from landfill

Dear Heloise: I love your column in The Washington Post! One of my main concerns when I declutter my home is what to do with all the books I buy and read!
Millions of tons of used books end up in landfills every year, many of which would be cherished in other hands. There are lots of organizations and nonprofits that will accept donations of books, but I found it extremely hard to find them. To help others solve this problem, I've launched a Web site called: WWW.ADOPTALIBRA-RY.ORG. It's dedicated to encouraging and helping people recycle used books and keep them out of landfills by getting them to people who can really use them.
There is no group behind it asking for anything; it's just a free site with links to organizations that help libraries and schools around the world. (The Web fees are paid by me personally, and I do the Web design myself.) Lynn Gaubatz, Falls Church, Va.
Your Web site is super -- you should be commended on all the great work you're doing! Folks, the next time you are going through your used books, think about www.adoptalibrary.org and pick an organization that will surely appreciate the books. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When our electricity goes out every so often, in order to report the outage, I have to use a corded phone, because the cordless phones require electricity. Cell phones can be used, but trying to locate one in the dark can be daunting, not to mention getting it to work during a storm.
I advocate always having a "land line" at the house in case of power failure, and having the emergency number for the electric company easily accessible. Linda Pena, Garland, Texas
Dear Heloise: When I was taking a suit to the dry cleaner, I had several spots that I wanted to point out to the clerk. Some of them were faint unless you looked at them very carefully in the sunlight. I was afraid that I might miss some when I got to the dry cleaner.
I used small, round, self-sticking circles and marked each spot to show the clerk. She was happy to have that assistance -- she and the other clerk said they should get some of these stickers to have when people point out stains. It takes only a few minutes to put them on and is a great help. Marilyn Fidler, Plymouth
Dear Heloise: I found a great use for my old dishwasher basket (with a handle -- H). I garden and never seemed to have the right tool when I needed it. I now keep them all together in the basket, which is handy to carry to the garden.
When I'm finished, I can rinse the entire basket, including tools, and leave them to drip-dry. V. Driscoll, Rochester, Minn.
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate