Billy is a former campus rep for University of Miami who is now at the receiving end of our literacy efforts in Tanzania.  He met up with our group of BWB employees who visited Africa this summer and wrote this heartfelt note to share  his experience with us all. 

"Oftentimes we never fully realize the global impact we can have from what we do on our college campuses.  We brought Better World Books to UM in Fall 2003, and in the four semesters I oversaw the bookdrives we brought in over 12,000 books to go towards Books for Africa.  At the time, I thought collecting books to benefit schools and students in the developing world was "a nice thing to do."  Little did I know at the time that after graduating in May 2005, I would accept a two-year volunteer teaching position at a high school in one of the poorest parts of Tanzania, East Africa.  The school I teach at now is a recipient of books from BWB and BFA.  Living and teaching here has made me fully understand how important the work of these organizations and the students at college campuses who coordinate these efforts truly are.  For my students, providing them with books no longer seems as though it is simply a "nice thing to do;" it is the means to provide better education, to overcome poverty, and to have hope for a brighter future.  For us on this side of the globe, it means a world of difference.  Thank you to everyone who is giving us such hope.  We are forever grateful."

 -- Billy Bludgus
    Butler Volunteer Services Center
    University of Miami  

Golden Key International Honour Society, an academic honor society which recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement among university students from all academic disciplines, has embraced "literacy" as their target service project in '06-07. 

BWB's CEO David Murphy addressed the 600+ honor's delegation, his speach emphasizing the important of service and literacy.  He highlighted his recent experiences in Africa, and demonstrated how running a book drive makes a tremendous impact.

Over 85 Golden Key chapters worked with BWB in '05-06.  We'll be announcing chapter scholarship winners shortly.  Here's a photo of '04-05 scholarship winner Anandi, from Hunter College, and myself during the conference.

During the 2006 American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, volunteers worked to sort and pack books donated to New Orleans Public Library from around the country.  These books were then shipped to our warehouse and are being sold online to help Rebuild NOPL.

Here's an excerpt from an article in ALA's American Libraries Online...

Better World Books Takes on the Sort
During the volunteer days, workers at the Algiers Regional Branch sorted through thousand of books that have been donated to New Orleans Public Library from across the country for addition to the library’s collection, distribution to local community groups, and resale. In an effort to alleviate the large quantities of donations NOPL has received since Hurricane Katrina, over 60 ALA volunteers spent two eight-hour days sorting and packing books at the Algiers branch.

Although the building did not flood, it suffered major roof damage. As a result, wind-driven rain entered the building, ruining its contents. The gutted branch is currently being used as a holding and sorting space for the thousands of book donations sent to NOPL from around the world. Of the estimated 500,000 books, almost 25,000 books were sorted, packed, and shipped to Better World Books, which will process and sell the books in over 14 online marketplaces, returning a percentage of the proceeds to NOPL. As of March 31, Better World Books had donated $4,923 to NOPL, generated from other donations that were redirected and listed for sale. In lieu of further book donations, potential donors are being asked to participate in ALA’s Adopt-a-Library program. See www.ala.org/katrina for for information.

Full Text

Congratulations Better World Books!!! We have recently hit a major milestone on two of our biggest web markets. Both Amazon.com and eBay are now reporting that BWB has served over 100,000 unique customers that have left positive feedback. This is a big accomplishment and is a reflection of our status as a serious and successful internet bookseller. Great Job Better World Books!!!

We are getting ready to head into the fall book drive season as many students begin to return to campus.  Get in contact with your regional director as soon as possible to get your group registered for the drive.  We need your help as much as ever!

This week we received some staggering literacy statistics from the National Center for Family Literacy. Two of the most impressive are:

• 61% of low-income families have no books at all in their homes for their children (McQuillan, Jeff. "The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions." 1998.)
• More than 40 percent of U.S. adults at the lowest level of literacy live below the poverty line. Only four percent of adults with strong literacy skills live in poverty.

Your books make a difference.