Condalmo: Giving through books.

I apologize for the haphazard formatting - and this a lengthier-than-usual post, but all worthy stuff.

I have plans to clean this up, make it an ongoing list in the sidebar. As such, please let me know of anything along these lines so I can keep the list updated as a resource for anyone looking to put books in the hands of those who need them.

First Book, and The Literacy Site.
Spread the word.

Reader To Reader, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to bringing books, free of charge, to needy school libraries across the United States. It is our belief that books have a singular power to inspire and change people’s lives.

The need for books is critical, because 60% of underprivileged children do not own a single book. This makes a well-stocked school library a critical resource hub that is a necessity not a luxury. Thankfully, a simple solution lies at hand with the millions of books that are routinely discarded on an annual basis. The solution is to efficiently collect and distribute these books to needy school libraries where they can educate and inspire generations of readers.
(via lhb.)
LOTS OF CHARITIES - quite a few charities have been working with BookMooch to great effect, such as "Reader to Reader" http://www.readertoreader.org/ and that's why you'll find a "charity" link on your main member menu. If you have a few more points than you need, consider donating them, as we really can do a lot of good with those books. I'm revamping the charity page soon so you'll be able to see all the charities that are involved. Over 200 members have given about 1500 book points to charity, which is fabulous! Read more at http://bookmooch.com/m/charity
Though The Camel Bookmobile (HarperCollins, April 2007) is a novel, the camel-borne library actually exists. It operates in Kenya’s isolated Northeastern Province near the unstable border with Somalia. It brings books to a semi-nomadic people who live with drought, famine and chonic poverty. The books are spread out on grass mats beneath an acacia tree, and the library patrons, often barefoot, sometimes joined by goats or donkeys, gather with great excitement to choose their books until the next visit. I visited the region and walked the bush with the camel library, and you can see pictures and a short video.

But of course, the bush is hard on books and the traveling library needs more. The books they have are written in either English or Swahili, both of which are taught in school. (The native language of many of the library’s patrons is Somali, but if you click on the video, you can see the younger children singing a song in English in their “classroom” under an acacia.) The librarians in the Northeast Province who travel with the camel bookmobile told me children’s storybooks are most popular, general fiction is also high on the list, and much interest is shown in nonfiction books covering topics ranging from astronomy to geography to history. The librarians also said patrons especially love it when a book is inscribed with a note from the sender. It helps them feel connected to places only barely imagined.

Thanks to all the authors who acted so quickly and generously to donate, and also reached out to colleagues and friends since the project began Feb. 13. Thanks, too, to the bloggers who have written about the drive and those who love books and decided to contribute. Special thanks to M.J. Rose for helping birth the idea and organize the drive, and Susan Ito for crucial help in setting up this website and running the drive.

Warmly, Masha Hamilton

What can you do to help?

BOOKS FOR THE CAMEL BOOKMOBILE can be mailed to:

Garissa Provincial Library
For Camel Library
Librarian in Charge, Rashid M. Farah
P.O. Box 245
Garissa, Kenya

Postage, economy, on a 5-pound box from the U.S. to Kenya is $23. Sending a 10-pound box is $33.75, and a 15-pound box costs $41.10. For a 25-pound box, the cost is $55.05.

You can also send books via the Camel Bookmobile Amazon Wish List. Amazon will ship the books and charge you for shipping (choose the standard international rate). If you do this, please send us an email and let us know who you are so we can thank you.

You can also help by donating money for shipping funds here. We can always use $$ to pay shipping costs. (via.)
THE GIFT BOOK BRIGADE
This fall, Melanie Carty, Director of Outreach and Development of Capital City Youth Services, got in touch with Kids in Need - Books in Deed, wondering if we could partner with her organization in some way. Capital City Youth Services operates an 18-bed shelter—among others programs—that serves 10-17 year old youth in crisis and their families in the Big Bend area (Leon, Wakulla, Gadsden, Franklin, Madison, Taylor, Jefferson and Liberty counties). They typically see between 400 and 500 children a year through the shelter program. All of their services are provided free of charge.

We thought this was a wonderful opportunity to get books into the hands of children and teens who may not have books of their own. So far Kids in Need - Books in Deed has donated close to 250 new books as well as books donated by young adult novelists Emily Franklin and Megan McCafferty. But we haven't yet even really begun.

We will continue to ask authors to donate new copies of their own titles and to hit up publishing houses for free books and discounts, but we are also hoping for financial donations from friends of Kids in Need - Books in Deed, friends like you.

            GIVE A GIFT BOOK

            To buy a book for a child, send a check to:

            Kids in Need – Books in Deed
            Attn: Nancy Smilowitz
            Senior Director of Development
            Office of the Dean College of Arts & Sciences
            Tallahassee, FL 32306-1280

We do not accept donations of used books. If you have used books that you'd like to find a good home for, please contact                us and we can get you connected to donation opportunities.

We will be working with a number of the authors from our list of Participating Authors so that we can get the books signed and inscribed, but we will not be limited to this list and will certainly be looking for the best books at the best prices so that we can serve as many children as possible. (via Dan W.)