Keeping it real and keeping it green

What do you do with books that are so old, torn up, or faded that no one wants them? I'm helping sort through children's books at my church and some of these dusty tomes are old enough to collect Social Security. So my question is--can they be recycled or at least can the pages be recycled? I have calls out to the experts at Associated Students Recycling Center at CSULB and Long Beach ConServation Corps. It's hard to keep my fingers crossed while I'm keying in their phone numbers, but I need all the luck I can muster.