Posted by Aaron King, Director and Yanna Ogilvie, Senior Regional Director

Phi Theta Kappa Members Walk for Sudan

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We all know that Phi Theta Kappa members are great, and we count on them to run some of our best Book Drives.  We were recently touched by a story of a group that is not only running a Better World Books book drive, but also reaching out to try to help coordinate something amazing.

Many of us have heard the plight of the 27,000 “lost boys” of Sudan, their perilous 1,000 mile walk  left more than half dead, and the rest came home to a country devastated by war, bare of essentials like clean water and schools. Matt Hoffman, a Phi Theta Kappa member at Illinois Central College, was touched by these horrific stories and moved to immediate action. Matt reflects, “A good friend of mine, Sean Fahey from Endless Eye informed me that his 501C3 had committed to raising funds to shoot a documentary film to raise awareness about the situation in Southern Sudan.”

Sean’s organization has been working with Justin Machien Luoi (www.pacodes.org), a Lost Boy, to build a library, a school, and provide clean water for Panyijiar County, Southern Sudan.  Matt wanted to know how Upsilon Mu, Illinois Central College's Phi Theta Kappa chapter, could get involved.  They talked for a few hours that night and decided to design a "walk event" in Peoria, Illinois. That is how Walk Sudan was born.

Walk Sudan is a project intended to raise awareness and funds to build a library in Panyijiar County, Southern Sudan, a region that has been devastated by 20 years of civil war and ethnic conflict.

Matt is reaching out to Phi Theta Kappa members to help with this great cause, “I’ve been fortunate to witness the generosity, passion, and perseverance exhibited by Phi Theta Kappans and I know that, with a little effort, we can help rebuild Southern Sudan and become part of something bigger than ourselves!”

In addition to helping coordinate the walk, Matt and his chapter are going to run their campus Better World Books book drive as usual; only this time, they are going to take the funding they earn from this book drive and graciously give it to the Sudan Project!

Better World Books and Books for Africa have begun working on a partnership with Walk Sudan to help pay for the shipping of books to Sudan. Pat Plonski, Director Books for Africa, comments "The need for books in Sudan is enormous because of the difficulty involved in shipping to that country.  The roads are very bad, and going to Southern Sudan represents a shipment almost to the very heart of Africa, which greatly increases the costs and logistical hurdles involved. For these reasons, we really appreciate the opportunity to work with partners like these who are willing to go the extra mile and get these books where they are so desperately needed."
Better World Books will be using money from the newly created BWB fund in addition to money generated by Walk Sudan to help cover the cost of shipping. If you are interested in helping Walk Sudan reach their goal of building and stocking a library in Southern Sudan please contact Matt Hoffman (mhoffman23@mchsi.com).

Links to more information:
http://revver.com/video/698354/walk-sudan/ - our video (produced by Endless Eye)
http://pacodes.org/
www.endlesseye.org
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1177134747 - our Facebook
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/12/10/news/state/144197.txt - some press re: Justin's efforts

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Check out some of the latest comments on the blog:

On A Prolific Trip of Epic Proportions 5
MGD says: "It is great to see those young children reading. They appear to enjoy doing that. Keep the good job guys."

On Show Us Some Love, Finnish Edition
Sanntu says: "Hi! Nice site! I don't know how you manage to have such low international shipping prices AND do some charity as well but I'll be sure to buy something... soon.

So, I'm Finnish and might be able to help you out. The whole article is maybe a tad longish to translate completely (at least now, it's 3 a.m.) and doesn't seem to be online anyway.

But here's what the caption says, roughly:
"$Millions to promoting literacy: 'Way back in school I used to dream about a company whose operations were inseparably connected with charity,' says Xavier Hegelsen.

All in all it seems like a positive story and if there's something more you'd like to know, do ask."

On Chicago, Navy Pier, Game Time!
Kristin says: "I had never heard of you before and I am so happy I came across your book store at the Chicago Green Festival! Thanks for coming out to our town!"

On Show Us Some Love, May 12 Edition
Cathy says: "My first encounter with BetterWorld was with a book I bought on Amazon. No more Amazon for me now that I have found this great site."

Well Cathy, I'm not going to complain.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

We're on Facebook!  Yup.  If you go here you can become a fan of Better World Books, along with the myriad others who have done so (100+ in the first 4 hours!).

Also, if you check our YouTube channel (yeah, we're kind of a big deal) then you can check out the latest videos and some of our favorite videos as well. 

If you're feeling a little lazy and already added us on Facebook you can check out one video here...

Posted by Kelly Franco, Pricing Specialist and Green Team Coordinator

You may or may not know, but not only is Better World Books green focused in our business practices, but we also make efforts in local communities, such as Mishawaka, IN where the warehouse resides.  Our "Green Team" embarks on many a green activity, be it Bike to Work Week or our latest effort:

So we’ve begun the co-op garden journey: the fence is partially erected; soil tilled; geometrically interesting (triangles) plots have been laid out- BUT we still need your help. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week we will have a drop-in volunteer session at 12:30 running for about 45 minutes. Come on out and help us prepare for planting next Friday. Check out the attached photo and see how much fun was had today!

Using frisbees to clean up, +1.  Breaking glass without safety gear engaged... -4.

[Ed: We don't do green because it's hip, we're green because when we leave work, that's what each of us is about and at Better World Books our company values are shaped by the employees, our primary stakeholders.]

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist



Hey all, Happy Memorial Day!  Hope you're enjoying some barbequeing and friends and honoring those who've sacrificed for US freedom.

If you're looking for some good reading on the topic, may I suggest the following:
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (drama, fiction)
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw (non-fiction, very well done)
The First World War by John Keegan (a real authority on the topic)
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (a totally screwed version of someone who was involved in the Dresden bombings... typical (awesome) Vonnegut)

Enjoy the day off get some reading done to remind you of what people did to get you more than just a four day work week...

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Maybe you're a better man than I, but I can't read Finnish.  I know what you're thinking, "Jack, in your studies at Holy Cross you never got through Hurskas Kurjuus by Sillinpaa?  Shame, shame!"  I know, believe me.

However, if you have Finnish under control maybe you can tell us what this awesome full page pull out says in KD or as they know it "Kristillisdemokraattinen viikkolehti" (yes, that is the title of the newspaper... seriously).  So far on the site I've ascertained that "Etusivu = homepage" and "Arkisto = archive."



If you can find it, in the March 30th edition we got some awesome press (I think...):
"Lukutaidon edistamiseen jo mlijoonia dollareita: Haaveilen jo koulussa yrityksesta, jonka toimintaan liittyisi erottamattomasti hyvantekevaisyys, sanoo Xavier Hegelsen."

Hey... I recognize something there!

[Update, I think "Haku" is search but I have yet to find the article in the archives... I'll keep you posted!]

[Update 2: This is an interview with Xavier!  Scandanavia loves its own!]



For more press about Better World Books go HERE.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Maybe you haven't seen the new site yet, that's cool, we can still be friends, but seriously, you should check it out: www.betterworld.com .  If you have, sneak those eyes down to the bottom right to the staff picks section.  There we have a ton of suggestions to ease your searching soul, be it searching for high literary works (Eliot, Pynchon), style (Dior, Victorian era), horror (King), business books (the brothers Heath), or just a good read (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime anyone?) or Bengal poetry (not even going to try to type that author name, it's not going to go well).

Regardless of what you're into, you're going to find a good suggestion and a good price at the site, so check it out.  Also, expect more reviews and more staff picks coming soon.

Posted by David Murphy, CEO

Hello everyone.  Take a look at the attached .pdf from Books for Africa. 

Sullivan Summit.pdf (911.48 KB) 

This flyer was sent to all 500+ delegates attending the "Sullivan Summit" in Arusha, Tanzania.  Note that Better World Books, through the Better World Books Fund within Books For Africa, is sponsoring the shipment and that the books will be distributed by the Poverty Eradication Network (PEN) in Tanzania. Natasha Harris, Niko Tomlinson, Mary Murphy, Jaime Knabet, Dustin Holland and myself visited the PEN folks in the summer of 2006 and have continued to stay in touch with them (Mungwe and Andrea).  They do fantastic work (based in Dodoma, the national capital of Tanzania) throughout the country.

To find out more about the Sullivan Summit VIII, go to www.thesullivanfoundation.org/summit/.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

OK, ok, I know what you're thinking: "Jack, what did you expect me to do while you were gone?  How can I go on without a BetterWorldBlog update?" and I hear you, I do.  Trouble is, with the awesomeness that was Chicago this weekend, I was real busy, don't worry, we're going to work through this, and let me tell you how.

First, I made you some things, interviews and stuff that are going to be on the new site.  See, I still dig you.

Second, I've got photos to prove I was at work, they're not all up yet, but they're comin, just you wait.  In fact, I've got video.  Yup, video.

Third, there's more exclusive content coming, just for you, because we're going to do this together.  By the way, have you seen www.betterworld.com lately?  I've been real busy, but I think it's coming together.  I'm doing it for you reader.  Did Van Gogh's screaming alien people complain that his masterpiece was taking too long?  I think not!

Your bookstore loves you,
Jack

Posted by David Murphy, President and CEO

Make sure to read the March 21st article in the New York Times written by David Brooks, entitled "Thoroughly Modern Do-Gooders".  This is an excellent article on Social Entrepreneurship and there are many points from the article that connect directly with what we have built here at Better World Books.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO and Evangelist

What are you doing this weekend?  A veritable ton of Better World Books employees will be on hand at the Chicago Green Festival, as BWB is the OFFICIAL BOOKSTORE!  We'll have signgings from some great green authors, great books, and some SWEET new shirt designs that you will want to have (two stores in San Francisco have already asked to sell them for us, and I just was wearing one, I didn't even make a sales pitch!).

Come hang out, meet the SF team, meet some of the warehouse crowd, and let us shake the hands of our customers!

May 17 + 18 at the Navy Pier in Chicago.  Bring 3+ books and get $5 off admission for the weekend (and I'll love you forever).

By Jacob Fu, Account Representative

So with the spring season upon us and the weather getting better, I’ve definitely been trying to find any opportunity to enjoy the sun.  Just a couple months ago, the Better World Books Alpharetta Office decided to start a Softball Team for our complex league.  With a game practically every week through August, it has been a great excuse to get outside.


Our Better World Books banner in Left Field.



Our First Baseman, A.King focused on the coming game.

I’ve also started running again and just started picking up biking.  What outdoor activities are you involved with?  And do you have suggestions for anything else that will get me outside?

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Here are links of some of the latest love from the last two weeks for Better World Books!

- Best Green Blog post re: The upcoming Chicago Green Festival
"Better World Books and Green Festival are partnering to offer $5 off Green Festival admission to attendees who bring in 3 or more books. Your donated books will be sold on BetterWorld.com to help fund girls’ scholarships in developing countries in Asia through Room to Read. www.roomtoread.org..."

-Hippo Press post re: De-cluttering
"The Nashua Public Library works with www.betterworld.com. Their blog (which recently had an entry about clutter which conveniently lists several books about de-cluttering at blogs.nashualibrary.org/reference/)"

- Southern Vibrations post re: Learning Spanish
"My trip to Spain is in August. Here’s how I’m learning the language: ...Fifth, I bought the Dos Mundos textbook from Betterworld.com for less than $10 and have been studying that a lot."

- Sub Ratio post re: Amazon Unlinked
"I was aware of the issue regarding smaller publishers that Halden refers to before his post and this, coupled with the poor customer service I have received from them of late has meant Amazon are no longer my first port of call when buying books... recommended sites of purchase:
- The book’s publisher (where applicable)
- Abe - This is a really good online marketplace of 2nd hand retailers searchable by bookseller location.
-  Better World Books - I have purchased through these a number of times

- Syerubi re: Adorable Af(f)ordable
"Um.. so, I know some people 'round these parts are big book fans! I was just searching through Howard County Library's website and found this place that donates a lot of money to them: https://www.betterworld.com/index.aspx

They seem like a reputable company, and the shipping's free, and they claim that you're helping education/the environment/the kidz who can't read good when you buy from them. Ugh, who wants to do that? So, I ordered a book! Yay for helping!"

- Rollins Rundown re: Better World Books
"Last week I ordered some used books from BetterWorld Books. Basically, they sell used and new books and the profits go to fund literacy programs around the world. I bought 5 board books for the tykes and 4 books for me, all for $3.48 a book. Yep, I got 9 books for less than 35 bucks. AND, shipping within the US is FREE -- including APO addresses. Otherwise, worldwide it's about $3 a book...

I love this site!"

Posted by Abby Rae LaCombe, Rocky Mountain Regional Director

UBC is one of my new schools (through my recent acquisition of Canadian schools) and this school values literacy.  UBC has worked with Better World Books to support Books for Africa since fall 2005 and has sent - you may need to sit down - 1,885 cartons of books!  All of the campus bookstores participate during buybacks; additionally, FORGE, Golden Key and the Medical School have all participated!  This spring, Golden Key and the UBC Bookstore are carrying the drive, and so far they have shipped 136 cartons!

To promote the drive, Golden Key created an excellent website that outlines the types of books they collect, where the donation sites are, and who can be contacted with questions.  I recommend all students interested in coordinating a drive check it out as it is a great, efficient way to share information on the book drive: http://ubcgoldenkey.org/bookdrive/ .  If you are located at UBC and would like to donate books, you can find donation bins in the following locations:

*Outside the entrance to the David Lam Library
*Outside the entrance to the Education Library
*Inside the Abdul Ladha Science Centre
*Inside the lobby of the Gage Residence Towers

Best of luck this semester, UBC; your dedication to sharing literacy and reducing waste shines as an example to campuses around North America!

Posted by Aaron King, Director of Campus Acquisitions

When this company was in it's youth there were 3 founders and their friend from Purdue who started book drives around the state of Indiana.  Throwing books in the back of a van, that friend, Aaron King, is now a book drive General, managing the campus divisions 1500+ schools.  Check back here for tips on how to make the most of your drive from the best in the business!

-Tip 1
-Tip 2
-Tip 3

Here is your final tip to get as many books as you can even if your semester has ended:

TIP #4: Offer professors and departments an office clean out service!

Students are not the only people on campus with books; Professors and faculty are often sent sample copies all throughout the year, and there are many offices that are just overflowing with books. Most faculty would love the chance the de-clutter their office, support a good cause, and help with your group's fundraising efforts. You have heard of a car wash fundraiser; offer your campus an Office Wash fundraiser.

BOOK DRIVES THAT COLLECT BOOKS FROM OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS INCREASE THEIR BOOKS BY 50%!

• Send out a mass email or get a blurb in the campus newsletter alerting all faculty on campus of your "office wash" opportunity.
• Put collection bins in major buildings in easy to reach places.
• Offer a door to door service to come by and do pickups from any office or department that wishes to donate.

Remember, any books that we receive by 7/31/2008 will count as part of your spring book drive totals. As always, our Campus Acquisitions Team is here to make it as easy as possible for you to collect as many books as possible on your campus.  Contact us any time.

Thanks for reading, I hope the end of semester goes smoothly for all of you, and I hope this short series of tips has helped you maximize your campus book drive. Have a great summer!

Posted by Aaron King, Director of Campus Acquisitions

When this company was in it's youth there were 3 founders and their friend from Purdue who started book drives around the state of Indiana.  Throwing books in the back of a van, that friend, Aaron King, is now a book drive General, managing the campus divisions 1500+ schools.  Check back here for tips on how to make the most of your drive from the best in the business!

-Tip 1
-Tip 2

Without further ado, here is Tip #3:

For some of you finals just ended; for others, finals are just around the corner.  In either case, I hope your book collection is in full swing.

And now, the moment you have been waiting for, tip #3.

TIP #3:  CAPITALIZE ON END OF YEAR MOVE OUT!

Yes, the prime place to collect books is near or in the bookstore, to get every book that the bookstore cannot buy back.  However, there are many books that just do not make it to the buyback that still get dumped in the trash when people clean out their rooms.

BOOK DRIVES THAT COORDINATE WITH THE END OF SEMESTER MOVE OUT HAVE INCREASED THEIR BOOKS BY 40%!

• Forge an alliance with the Residence Halls, their directors, managers and RA's.  No one really wants to see books get thrown away.  Some schools have had a lot of success having the RA's have one final event for their students, which floor or which hall can accumulate the most books?
• Reach out to Greek houses, Co-ops, or any other off campus housing properties; these areas are often neglected, but think about it: that senior moving out of his or her apartment for the last time probably has a lot of books they accumulated that they really are not going to want to lug around.  Make it easy for them to donate to your book drive.
• Contact your campus building services or facilities departments;  if books tragically do end up in the trash,  these departments are often burdened with hauling them around campus to their eventual demise at a recycling center or sadly, a landfill.  They would gladly give books over to your book drive.

I hope that these strategies can help make sure that no books fall through the cracks and you are able to get as many books from your campus as possible.  And remember, our Campus Acquisitions Team is here to make it as easy as possible for you to collect as many books as possible on your campus.  Please contact us any time.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Tip #4.

Maura Varian, Acquisitions Support Manager, hatched a brilliant plan earlier this year. One day, she thought, "Hey, we collect books. We sell books. And, most of us even read books. So, why don't we help people learn to do what we love most?" And, today, that plan is a step closer to fruition.

As of last week, 11 Better World Books employees have graduated from our local literacy council's tutor training program. The employee-tutors will be utilizing the company's new volunteerism benefit for this program. In essence, they'll be compensated for their time as if they were working away in our distribution center. For Better World Books, providing direct service -- be it tutoring, painting houses, or playing with children with disabilities -- is just as valuable as receiving, scanning, and shipping books. In the end, it's all about creating a Better World.

And, Maura's not done there. In an article which was released today by the South Bend Tribune, she is ready to take her dream of local literacy even further, saying I'd "like to see the partnership grow to eventually allow the company's own employees who have issues with literacy to get the help they need from the Literacy Council while they're on the job."

Thanks, Maura, we're right there with you!

For the full article, click here.

Posted by Rudy Reyes Jr., Director

A few years ago, in the midst of my doctoral studies, I had the privilege of joining with a professor of early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame to teach a course on pilgrimage. One of the central tenants of our exploration of this religious phenomenon was an old adage: “Often, it is not so much the destination, but the journey of getting there.” Each year, for example, tens of thousands come and go from the Way of Santiago de Compostella in Spain. Some travel the entire length of the Way, and others only a few miles. Many will never see the great Cathedral, but it is, in the end, about the journey. I was reminded of this a week or so ago when one of the bibliographers in our Antiquarian, Rare, and Collectable Books section shared with me a tattered blue volume bearing the name of Aldous Huxley.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist


(the author of this great article, Amanda Brouillette)

Over at the Red and Black, the student newspaper of the University of Georgia wrote an article that simultaneously talks about how sweet we are:

Better World Books has given more than 864,600 books directly to Books for Africa, as well as the National Center for Family Literacy, which helps here in the United States.  They've also raised $900,000 of unrestricted funding for Books for Africa, www.booksforafrica.org, since May of 2002.

A warehouse full of books at the Books for Africa headquarters in Minnesota is useless without the incredible amount of funding necessary to ship the books all the way to Sudan, Darfur or Ethiopia. This unrestricted funding ships the books across the Atlantic, and ensures their transportation inland to different countries and villages.

It's hard to comprehend being forced to share my only book with six other students, but Fresew said that is the case, even in Africa's private schools.

while talking about what the local Bulldogs can do to help:

As you finish your finals, get closure on that ridiculously hard class - take a walk to one of the bright green boxes that says, "Book Drives for Better Lives," and let the bane of your semester save someone else's life. I promise you, it's worth it.

Check out the full article here.

Posted by Aaron King, Director of Campus Acquisitions

When this company was in it's youth there were 3 founders and their friend from Purdue who started book drives around the state of Indiana.  Throwing books in the back of a van, that friend, Aaron King, is now a book drive General, managing the campus divisions 1500+ schools.  Check back here for tips on how to make the most of your drive from the best in the business!

-Tip 1

Without further ado, here is tip #2:

TIP #2:  PROMOTE YOUR BOOK DRIVE ON ALL CHANNELS!

An ideal book drive will have collection boxes and posters and fliers all over the campus to make book donation easy;  the sad truth is that there are still a lot of people out there who would gladly donate their books, but for some reason they just don't know your book drive is happening!  There are a few easy steps you can take to remedy this problem:

• Create a facebook event and invite EVERYONE;  here is an example I just made that you can copy: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=16553624047&ref=share  Make sure you  include details about where and when people can donate on your campus!  
• Get the student newspaper to write an article about the amazing book drive project you are coordinating.
• Tell all your friends. (and have them tell their friends.  And their friends' friends.  Eventually, your friends' friends' friends will come congratulate you on your book drive)
• Ask your professors to make announcements in classes.
• See if campus radio will make an announcement for you
• Competition: I can provide you with details on how your biggest rival schools are doing with their book collection efforts.  Sometimes, the best way to bring your campus together for one great event is by sticking it to your rival...
  

Hopefully, these strategies can ensure that everyone on campus knows to give their extra books to your book drive.  And remember, our Campus Acquisitions Team is here to make it as easy as possible for you to collect as many books as possible on your campus.  Please feel free to contact us any time.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Tip #3.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Hey all, sorry about the minor paucity on das blog.  The last days have been jam packed with resituating the SF office, going to the Clean Tech conference at Stanford and most importantly, getting ready to rock the Chicago Greenfest!  As the official bookstore of the conference we're going to be doing author interviews, t-shirt giveaways and book sales.  Awesome.  We promise do have some great things going on and check back here for more news on what to expect.