Posted by Sarah Lynne Reul, Senior East Coast Director

Last week Better World Books received a visit from the New York Times. The reporter wrote an interesting piece on different ways to part with beloved used books.

Here's an excerpt "…Better World Books offers a different option. Started by some freshly minted Notre Dame graduates in 2002, it collects used books and textbooks from about 1,000 campuses and 700 libraries nationwide.

As an individual, you can donate if you pay for shipping yourself; but you can buy anything off its Web site and shipping is free anywhere in the country."  Click here to read the full article...

One of the pictures taken on our warehouse floor - the photographer even bought a book for his book club!

Posted by Sarah Lynne Reul, Senior East Coast Director

...but they need your help!

Click here to check the 15-minute video titled "Nepal: A Girl's Life". This Frontline piece chronicles the life of Sabina Timilsinain, a young Nepalese girl & recipient of a Room to Grow Scholarship.
PBS has not yet decided whether the piece will air on national television. They're monitoring how many hits the website receives before making the decision.

Please check it out today & let us know what you think!

Posted By: Sarah Lynne Reul, Senior East Coast Director

We just received this great email from Pat Plonski, the Executive Director of Books for Africa:

Subject: Container to Kenya
Hello -

I am pleased to inform you that a 40-foot container of textbooks left our St. Paul warehouse today bound for the port of Mombasa, Kenya for distribution in that area of Africa.  Funding for a 20-foot container was provided for this container; BFA has utilized $1k from the Better World Books Fund to defray shipping costs of boosting this to a 40-foot container.

Thank you for this support of education in Kenya!
-Pat

This is just the first of a number of shipments that will be sponsored by the newly-formed Better World Books Fund - this 40-foot container holds about 35,000 books! Stay tuned for more BWB Fund updates.


Representing Friends and Alumni of KU at the ceremony were Dr. Leah Keino and Dr. Ebby Luvaga of Iowa State University, Dr. Jane Rose Njue of Northern Illinois University, Dr. Agnes Odinga of Hamline University, and Dorothy Rombo (faculty on study-leave from KU) of the University of Minnesota, who have all been actively involved in this project since October 2006. Also present were Wilfred Pere, and James Wakiaga, First Counsellor at the Kenyan Embassy.

Posted by: Jacob Fu, Sales Representative

The Better World Books Library Team traveled up to Washington D.C. on June 22 for the Annual ALA Conference.  It was a great chance for us to meet our current clients and also share about our Library Discards & Donations Program to those who were unfamiliar with it.

We had a great time in the city when we did have some free time to spare.  One evening, we had a great meal at Legal Sea Foods where the waitress actually recognized our company from the logo on our shirts!

Back at the show, we had the opportunity to introduce a number of our new program features. These and also answers to some of the most common questions asked are listed in the posting below.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by our booth!  We hope to see you all soon!

Posted by: Walter Sears, Associate Director

Last Tuesday, I attended a meeting with a group of public library administrators to discuss Better World Books’ Library Discards & Donations Program.  We enjoyed boxed lunches from Heavenly Ham, and spent the afternoon discussing this simple, yet effective solution to managing surplus gift books and weeded material.  Popular topics included:

Acceptable Material Guidelines – Types of material accepted by Better World Books

BetterWorld.com Online Sidewalk Sale – Browse inventory by zip code and library name on BetterWorld.com

BetterWorld.com Affiliate Program – earn 5%-8% on purchases from BetterWorld.com

Thanks again to our host for organizing this wonderful event.

Better World Books is exhibiting at the upcoming ALA Conference in D.C.  Stop by booth #1405 for a chance to win an iPod. 

Safe Travels!!

Posted by: Mary Murphy, Senior South Regional Director

Helping Higher Education to Recycle!

 Leon County Recycling Services & Education in Tallahassee FL has teamed up with Better World Books to help encourage our local universities to recycle their “no value” textbooks.  At the end of each semester, the 50,000 Tallahassee students try to get some value back for the books they bought at the beginning of the semester.  Inevitably, some of these books are worth nothing.  That’s where Better World Books (BWB) comes in.  Normally the bookstores take these books back and throw them away as a service to their customers (students).  However, BWB has developed a system for reselling, reusing or recycling textbooks.

 Using their turnkey approach, no books wind up in the landfill, literacy programs benefit both with increased funding or books to distribute and kids of all ages can learn to read.  In addition, BWB provides funding to groups on campus who serve as collection crews for the books.  To date, BWB has diverted over 4,700 tons of books from going into landfills.  They have also provided over 520,000 books and $2 Million dollars to various non-profits in the US and around the world.

                 In two book drives, Leon County diverted 3 tons of books from the landfill.  Currently we are working with Florida State University but are planning on expanding to Florida A&M and TCC this summer.  This is a very easy program for any local government to participate in.  All you need is a contact at the University and some room to store boxes.  BWB handles the rest!  For more information check out Better World Books on the web at www.betterworldbooks.com or contact Mary Murphy, Southeast Regional Director, mary@betterworldbooks.com or (770) 596-7497.

Posted by: Sarah Lynne Reul, Senior East Coast Director

Melanie Brooks, the Publications Coordinator at the UMaine Bookstore in Orono just wrote up this great article about the store's partnership with CASA (Central American Service Association), a student group dedicated to helping communities in Honduras:

 "The University Bookstore has been involved with Better World Books for two years, helping CASA raise over $3,600. Better World Books is a positive alternative to throwing away books that have little to no value at buyback.

Many bookstores across the country see Better World Books as competition, but not us. Better World Books sells books online that UMaine students can’t use – and a portion of that sale helps to benefit CASA.

“I love the fact that our bookstore at University of Maine has a great relationship with Better World Books. It is such a great organization. We all can benefit from it. Being part of the book drive helps CASA achieve our financial goals for Honduras. It’s just amazing what simple steps of recycling can mean to a community and the environment,” says Danijela Krsmanovic, UMaine sophomore and president of CASA.

The University of Maine bookstore spends a great deal of energy to partner with different organizations on campus that have an altruistic motive. Better World Books is just one example of how student organizations and the University Bookstore successfully work together to promote awareness and community relations. 

While the bookstore collects the books, it’s really CASA that does all the work. They come to collect the books in boxes we provide and ship them out on their own. For very little work on our end we get rid of unwanted books and help out a wonderful student organization at the same time. If only everything could be this easy!" 

Many thanks to Melanie Brooks, David Hazen, Bill Hockensmith, Marisa Schrock and all of the bookstore staff for their wonderful help & participation! Also, huge thanks to Danijela Krsmanovic (that’s her in the photo below!), Amber Gallant, Kathleen March, Emin Okutan and all of the CASA & Alpha Kappa Psi students who have helped spread the word, pack up books & make the book drive a great success! The books collected in their drive not only help CASA, but also make great positive impact on our Latin American literacy partner, Worldfund, helping them fund high-quality education for impoverished children.

Posted by: Damara Lauren Catlett, Northern Mid-Atlantic Regional Director

A joint report by the UNAIDS/UNFPA/UNIFEM confirms the importance of educating girls. The reports states that:

“Education is key to an effective response to HIV/AIDS. Studies show that educated women are more likely to know how to prevent HIV infection, to delay sexual activity and to take measures to protect themselves.”

Moreover, educated girls can transform an entire community. Go to the following link http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/women/report/chapter5.html to find out how educated women can empower themselves and others.

Additionally, this graph shows the stark difference between the prevalence of HIV/AIDS infection among Ugandan girls who are educated and those who are not.

Source: De Walque and J Whitworth, MRC Uganda (2002)

Posted by: Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Excitement is in the air!  Exams are ending, computers and clothes are getting moved back home and gowns with matching hats are being worn around campus and (in the Northeast) all of this is happening in the much missed sunlight.  What’s also happening on campus in all the hugs and packing?  Better World Books.  On over 1000 campuses students are going to bookstores and when they can’t get those books sold back they are putting them in donation boxes, and bookstores are packing cartons with books with new editions.  Everyday I get an email from a school either saying “we have 75 cartons to ship” or “we have 10 cartons to ship” or my favorite: “I’ve heard about your program and we’d love to work with you next semester!”

This is the best time of the year, for many people the culmination of 4+ years of hard work.  But amidst all the excitement it’s important to remember the people who make all of this possible.  As for me I’m thankful for those students and teachers and bookstore managers who have stayed with us through the years, the students just starting and making time to do the right thing, and my own coworkers for making my job one that I enjoy and can do with pride.

Regardless of where you are today, drop those books off, pick up the phone and thank Mom and Dad, and good luck to all of you.  Have a great summer!

You may not have picked up South Africa's biggest paper today, but a lot of people did. Better World Books got a nice long mention in a story today in the Mail & Guardian about education.

Click here to read the story.

Posted By: Abby Rae LaCombe, Rocky Mountain Regional Director

Early April a young man named Ido had requested more information on Better World Books.  My first thought was, ‘what a neat name, where does everyone get these neat names?’  It’s a common thought for me, because I am simply an Abby surrounded by neat names like Niko, Roselle, Yanna, Silvia, and Damara…

Well, it turns out that Ido got his neat name in Israel and he was contacting me on behalf of his English class at United World College – USA, a fascinating institution with approximately 200 students from 96 countries!  Ido shared my information with his instructor, Anne. 

When she and the class started looking at Better World Books’ website, they were excited to see we worked with literacy programs all over the world.  The students were impressed that Better World Books is a self-sustaining supporter of non-profits, and with our zero-waste book processing and environmental efforts; but when they saw it had been founded and largely run by young adults like themselves they were really excited to get involved. 

Seeing this, Anne worked with them to develop theme-based English lessons centered on Better World Books’ business model and how we support our literacy partners.  The students did class presentations on their home countries and the education situation there; they made posters, flyers, and handouts outlining BWB and our partners and then shared them with the campus to advertise their drive. Their project culminated with an incredibly successful book drive bringing in close to 500 books!

Anne told me later, “The thing about these students is that they’re really smart, and very committed to social change.  They were very interested in the project, the business aspects, the world aspects, how we choose who gets educated in our world.”  From where I’m sitting, it’s true.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for finding us!  You guys did a great job! 

Thank you, Anas - from Jordan
Thank you, Ayano - from Japan
Thank you, Esteban - from Paraguay
Thank you, Gnagna - from Senegal
Thank you, Ido - from Israel
Thank you, Jonathan - from Guatemala
Thank you, Lina - from Colombia
Thank you, Maris - from Casta Rica
Thank you, Mobeen - from Afghanistan
Thank you, Muhammad - from Indonesia
Thank you, Octavio - from East Timor
Thank you, Oudam - from Cambodia
Thank you, Porfia - from Angola....
And thank you,, Anne - from England!