How can I get rates for shipping about 8 tons of books across the US?

Call UPS.

The folks there ought to be in pretty good moods since the horse winning the Derby, Preakness and now on to the Belmont is named in the honor of UPS = "Big Brown."

*Seriously* --if your book collection is one for which safety is an issue and the weight large, you may have to go with professional long-distance movers, who will cost, but who also will insure, deliver, and unpack 'em where you want 'em.

You probably want to call a long-distance hauler with a national chain, like Bekins or Allied Van Lines. Some of them move museum-quality works, with much safety and security experience protecting the cargo.

That's going to be far cheaper for 16,000 pounds of books than any other means of transport, but it still won't be cheap. Moving treasures is worth it, though.

You may wish to speak with UPS on this, but keep in mind that NO BOX can go over 70 pounds, so you may want to think about renitng a truck to do this or even a train car or two