Web Site Lists of Book Donation Organizations

• American Library Association(ALA)Book Donations
  See also, International Relations Office page for International Librarianship links
• Book Aid International -- Book Aid Information and other related organizations
• Center for the Book list -- Library of Congress Web site
• SABRE Directory of Book Donation International Organizations
• Stanford University Libraries: Book Donations
• Donation Programs for Books, Journals and Media -- University at Buffalo Health Sciences Library list

Selected organizations:

Entries have been verified and updated as of 2003. The annotations indicate the nature of the projects and services so that potential donors can determine if collaboration is possible.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics - Book Donation Programme.

Donation Programme Office
ICTP P.O.Box 586
Strada Costiera 11
Trieste 34100, ITALY.
Fax number: ------- (39) 040 2240633
Telephone number: (39) 040 224636
http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~iqbal

Based in Trieste, Italy. Attempts to provide physics and mathematics libraries in developing countries with books, journals and proceedings.
 

American Chemical Society Office of International Activities - Project Bookshare has concluded but offers other links

American Chemical Society
1155 16th St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 872-4548 or (800) 227-5558, ext. 4548
Fax: (202) 872-6317
http://www.acs.org/international/
 

In 1984, the American Chemical Society launched an initiative to assist institutions that have a need for scientific publications. Project Bookshare, as the program has come to be known, is charged with collecting chemistry textbooks and back numbers of journals from donors and making these materials available to libraries in selected small U.S. colleges and to university libraries in mostly developing countries.
Contact Person: Dr. J.C. Torio
Email: [email protected]

ADIFLOR (Association pour la Diffusion Internationale Francophone de Livres, Ouvrage et Revues)

5 rue de la Boule Rouge
75009 Paris
France
Phone: (33) 1 44 79 0600
Fax: (33) 1 44 79 0600
http:/www.adiflor.org
 

ADIFLOR works with Alliance française, Mission lanque française, Ordre de Malte, Association de Bibliothécaires français (ABF). It distributes materials to Africa, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe.
Contact Person: Isabelle Le Camus
Email: [email protected]

African Studies Association (U.S.) - Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Committee, Africana Librarians Council (ALC)

African Studies Association, Rutgers University, Douglass
College, 132 George Street, New Brunswick, N.J. 08901-1400
Phone: (732) 932-8173
Fax: (732) 932-3394
https://www.albany.edu/~dlafonde/Global/book_donation/
 

"The ASA makes available up to $3000 annually to assist groups with shipping costs for book donations to Africana libraries and schools." Application procedures are on the African Librarians Council web site. Awards are described.
Contact Person: Carol Martin, Executive Director
Email: [email protected]

Association d'Aide … l'Equipement Scolaire (AESCO)

B.P. 61
45750 St. Pryvé St. Mesmin
France
Phone/Fax: (33) 2 38 56 61 39
http://www.voxlatina.com/vox_dsp2.php3?art=1252

AESCO distributes school books, educational games, general reading materials in the French language to Guinea, Cameroon and Senegal.
Contact Person: M. Loembe Gervais, President or Jacqueline Ateba, Secrétaire générale.
Email: [email protected]

BIBLIONEF

48 bd. Diderot
75012 Paris
France
Phone: (33) 1 43 40 75 10
Fax: (33) 1 43 40 75 24
http://www.biblionef.nl

New books for children and adolescents from publishers' overstock.
Languages: French, Dutch, Portuguese, Afrikaans, Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa
BIBLIONEF works with the Agence de la Francophonie (ACCT), French Cultural Centres, Alliance fran‡aise and various NGOs and foundations. They distribute materials to Central and Eastern Europe, Francophone Africa, Asia, Haiti, Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa, Madagascar and Surinam. BIBLIONEF sends recipients a list of materials each month from which they can select the resources they need. Recipients are asked to contribute to the cost of maintaining the program and are responsible for paying the shipping costs.
Contact Person: Mme Dominique Pace, Le Roy, Vice President.
 

Book Aid International

39-41 Coldharbour Lane
Camberwell
London SE5 9NR
England
Phone: (044) 0 20 7733 3577
Fax: (044) 0 20 7978 8006
http://www.bookaid.org

Formerly The Ranfurly Library Service (RLS) of London, this group works in partnership with organizations to provide book support for education and literacy programmes in developing countries, mainly in Africa. Book Aid International is always in need of appropriate books and financial support. For its U.S. counterpart, see Ranfurly Library Service of New York (below).
Email: [email protected]

Books for Africa

253 East 4th Street Suite 200
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Phone: (651) 602-9844
Fax: (651) 602-9848
http://www.booksforafrica.org
 

A non-profit organization seeking to share America's wealth in books with the English- speaking countries of East Africa. Initial projects were books for Kenyan schools and the Uganda Public Library. Projects have involved Tanzania, Swaziland, Liberia and the Gambia as well. Distributes basic medical and nursing texts to 18 African nations. They are looking for donations of books, cash and volunteer labor.
Contact Person: Dr. Robert J. Kowalczyk, Executive Director
Email: [email protected]

BOOKS FOR ALL

Brunhildenstr. 34
D-80639 Munich, Germany.
Phone: (49) 89-17 23 83
Fax: (49) 89 260 78 96
http://www.ifla.org/ifla/VII/s10/1996/b4all.htm

A library project encouraging grass-roots activities to fight illiteracy. It aims at providing children and young people with books and other media. Requests for funding come from many countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Librarians and teachers wishing to establish small libraries, to enlarge existing collections or to improve the quality of school libraries receive support. They purchase books written in their local languages that the children are able to read and understand. Founded in 1973 by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and has since supported more than 100 libraries for children and young people in more than 50 countries.
Account for donations: Dresdner Bank, Munich, Germany
Account No. 7 649 897 00, Bank Code No. 700 800 00

Books for International Goodwill (B.I.G.)

Parole Rotary Club
PO Box 6327
Annapolis, MD 21401-6327
Phone: (410) 293-6895
Fax:
http://www.big-books.org/

Through donations from individuals, bookstores, school systems, and libraries, the club has acquired over one million books. Club members and friends volunteer two Saturdays a month to sort the books by categories and pack them for shipping. By combining donations from shipping companies, local Rotary funding, and Rotary International matching grants, over 1.3 million books have been shipped to Africa, The Middle East, Eastern Europe, and other areas of the world. Local Rotary Clubs in the receiving countries facilitate distribution through both financial and labor contribution.
Contact Person: Steve Frantzich
Email: [email protected]

Bridge to Asia Foundation

Brother's Brother Foundation

1200 Galveston Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15233-1604
Phone: (888) 232-1916 or (412) 321-3160
Fax: (412) 321-3325
http://www.brothersbrother.org
 

The Brother's Brother Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization providing gifts in kind in cooperation with the public and private sectors. Working with volunteers in host countries, they have sent over 8,000,000 books to schools, universities and civic organizations since 1986. Brother's Brother Foundation typically deals in very large quantities (a ton may be considered a small quantity). Donations from individuals are accepted if they fit in with an existing project, and donors are usually expected to bear the shipping costs to the U.S. warehouse.
Contact Person: Karen Lensie, Development Director, (412) 237-2324, [email protected]
Email: [email protected]

Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE)

321 Chapel Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7Z2
Canada
Phone: (613) 232-3569 or (800) 661-2633
http://www.codecan.org
 

CODE is a non-governmental organization which supports education and literacy work in the Third World. Its Book Program supplies donated books from North American sources to educational organizations. It generally only accepts books published within the past 5 years and in sets of 25 or more for class-room use.  CODE provides the books and shipping, while the counterpart organization in the recipient country selects books from lists provided, handles receipt and local delivery of the shipments. "Ngoma" is the title of their semi-annual newsletter. CODE is affiliated with the International Book Bank in the U.S.
Contact Person: Yvonne Appiah, Executive Director.
Email: [email protected]

 

Darien Book Aid Plan

1926 Post Road
Darien, CT 06820
Phone: (203) 655-2777
http://dba.darien.org

Distribution to Peace Corps volunteers, teachers, libraries, and schools all over the world and, in the United States, to libraries, prisons, hospitals, Native Americans, and Appalachia. For new and used books in good condition addressing subjects including science, business, medicine, grammar, literature, classics, fiction, non-fiction, children's books, textbooks in most subjects, but not older than 10 years. National Geographic for the last 5 years is the only magazine accepted.
Email: [email protected]

Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc.

1038 South Highland Street
Arlington, VA 22204
Phone: (703) 685-0510
Fax: (703) 685-0529
http://www.ecdcinternational.org

Since 1993, ECDC has shipped close to 600,000 books to Ethiopia.  It is a partner of Books for
Africa,  Brother's Brother Foundation, International Book Project, Project Hope, USAID etc.
Contact Person: Tori Wolan, Director of Development, (703) 685-0510, [email protected]
Email: [email protected]

Interchurch Medical Assistance, Inc.

College Avenue
P.O. Box 429
New Windsor, MD 21776
Phone: (410) 635-8720
Fax: (410) 635-8726
http://www.interchurch.org

A consortium of Protestant mission boards and humanitarian organizations coordinating donations of medical kits and money. Computerized lists are sent to potential recipients for selection. The recipient is responsible for a small handling charge. Donors are mostly publishers and corporations.
Email: [email protected]

International Book Bank

2201 Eagle Street, Unit D
Baltimore, MD 21223
Phone: (410) 362-0334
Fax: (410) 362-0336
http://www.internationalbookbank.org/
 

International Book Bank is a non-profit organization which recently affiliated with the Canadian Organization for Development Through Education (CODE). Its recently opened Baltimore location provides warehouse and computer facilities for its activities which include: networking, computerized annotated lists of books available, which are sent to potential recipients, supply through client agencies, feedback via questionnaires and surveys, and institution building. Although most of its programs are large in scale, if a request, either from an African library wishing to obtain books, or a U.S. scholar with books to donate, fits with a current program, the request can be accommodated. Otherwise they can handle requests on a service contract basis (with charges to recover costs) either supplying books or handling donated books.
Contact Person: James A. W. Rogerson, Executive Director
E-mail: [email protected]

International Book Project / IBP Online

1440 Delaware Avenue
Lexington, KY 40505
Phone: (888) 999-BOOK or (859) 254-6771
http://www.intlbookproject.org
 

Sends donated books to developing countries and parts of the U.S.A. - new from publishers or used from individuals, schools and libraries, on all levels, children's through graduate and professional school. Responds to recipient requests. Potential donors should send a description of the books - level, number of multiple copies, etc., and the Project will send a matching recipient's address. The donor can either send the books on their own, or arrange shipment with the Project for a fee, currently $3.00 per pound of books sent.
Contact person: Ken DeGilio, Director, [email protected]
Email: [email protected]

International Society of African Scientists (ISAS)

            P.O. Box 9209
            Wilmington, DE 19809
            Phone: (302) 366-5155 or (302) 774-2296
            Fax: (302) 366-5236 or (302) 774-2457
            http://www.dca.net/isas/books.htm

            ISAS decided to collect useful educational materials for donation to needy libraries or programs at colleges
            or universities or other programs of higher education in Africa and the Caribbean.  Their website lists the type
            of materials collected and describes the privileges of donorship.
            Contact Persons: Dr. Billy Annan or Dr. Senyo Opong

Lubuto Project

Netherlands Periodicals Project

Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC)
Netherlands Periodicals Project
PO Box 29777
2502 LT The Hague
Netherlands
Phone: (31 70) 4260 169
Fax: (31 70) 4260 189
http://www.nuffic.nl/programma/samenwerking/npp-en.html
 

The purpose of the NPP is to help university libraries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to build up their collections of scientific literature. To be eligible, libraries must be situated in the countries on which the Dutch government concentrates its development cooperation efforts. The NPP sends back runs of journals to some 30 destinations. They send the journals only after confirmation of the receiving institute that it's really useful. The Dutch Government pays for shipment and project costs. They can handle journals from the United States, but only under several restrictions. However, if someone in the United States has any back runs of periodicals which might be useful for NPP's projects, they would be pleased to be informed.
Contact Person: Dr. Cindy-Lou van Rossum
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

New School University - Journal Donation Project

Journal Donation Project
New School University
65 Fifth Avenue, Rm 416
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212)229-5789
Fax: (212)229-5476
http://www.newschool.edu/gf/centers/programs.htm#jdp

The guiding idea of the JDP is that a reliable flow of current information along with access to archival and historical records are essential for any research or teaching of current relevance to take place. Its focus has been on creating the best contemporary scholarly resources at the libraries receiving support. To that end, JDP has been providing libraries with current subscriptions to core disciplinary journals as well as with extended, largely uninterrupted back volume sets. Donation program to Nigeria began in 2002.
Contact Person: Maureen McNulty, Managing Director

Nigerian Universities Office

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
1333 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 986-8400
Fax: (202) 775-1385

The Nigerian Universities Office includes in its responsibilities the coordination of donation of books and research/teaching equipment from American and Canadian universities to Nigerian universities. Many Nigerian universities maintain accounts with the office to cover shipping costs. Shipping arrangements for those institutions without accounts can sometimes be worked out.

 

Operation Bookshelf

37 Drake Rd.
Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583
Country: U.S.A.
Phone: (914) 723-0024

Materials available: Used books and magazines in English.  Operation Bookshelf is a small all-volunteer organisation that sends boxes of books to libraries, schools and NGOs world-wide. They fill requests for books on a first-come first-serve basis, subject to the availability of materials.

Project Handclasp

c/o Commander, Naval Base
San Diego, CA 92132
Phone: (619) 532-1492
Contact: Commander M.C. Tevelson

Donated English language books from schools and individuals and a wide array of other "humanitarian aid" partner with Embassies in U.S. Navy ports of call.  Project Handclasp uses empty cargo space on U.S. Navy ships to transport humanitarian, good-will and educational materials to Navy ports of call. The materials are donated by a wide variety of sources and the contents are unpredictable. Navy ships will off-load these materials wherever they are needed and customs practices allow. Recipients are chosen by the Defence Attachés at U.S. embassies. Visit your local U.S. embassy to find out if they participate in Project Handclasp and ask to be put on a recipient list.

Project HOPE

International Headquarters
255 Carter Hall Lane
Millwood, VA 22646
Phone: (540) 837-2100
Fax: (540) 837-1813
http://www.projecthope.org

Project Hope has and international textbook distribution program to institutions in the Third World. This organization distributes large amounts medical books.
Email:  [email protected]

Ranfurly Library Service of New York / Book Aid International

34 Sheldon Rd
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Phone: (914) 473-1652 or (914) 471-9307

The Ranfurly Library Service of New York is an autonomous organization with basically the same goals as its British sister organization listed above, Book Aid International. This group works in partnership with organizations to provide book support for education and literacy programmes in developing countries, mainly in Africa.
Contact Person: Herman Hamlelink, Director
Email: [email protected]

Reader to Reader

24 Mt. View Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Phone: (413)253-7569
http://www.readertoreader.org

Reader To Reader supplies books for all reading levels, from elementary and secondary schools to colleges and universities in the US.

Contact Person: David Mazor, Executive Director
email: [email protected]

Rotary International

International Services Section
1560 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201-2698
Phone: (847) 866-3000
Fax: (847) 328-8554
http://www.rotary.org/programs/wcs/din/information.html

Rotary International's World Community Service provides information on Donations-in-Kind Network (DIN) to individual Rotary clubs worldwide. See the website above for a 56 page Resource Guide listing relevant organizations.  Donations-in-kind Information: Susan Schneider, (847) 866-3301

Sabre Foundation, Inc.

872 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 2-1
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Phone: (617) 868-3510
Fax: (617) 868-7916
http://www.sabre.org/books/books.html
 

Sabre Foundation, Inc., founded in 1969, works to build free institutions and to examine the ideals that sustain them. Its largest current project makes millions of dollars' worth of donated books available to needy individuals in developing and transitional societies worldwide through non-governmental partner organizations, libraries, universities, schools, hospitals and clinics, research institutions and other similar organizations. They specialize in providing college, secondary and elementary level educational materials to institutions and individuals. Since 1986, Sabre has donated almost three million new books, journals, videocassettes and CD-ROMs through its on-going selected countries in other regions of the world. Sabre also administers a program for purchase of books and journal subscriptions at reduced cost and places private libraries and special collections with institutions abroad.
Contact Person: Colin McCullough
Email: [email protected]

Salamatu Foundation

P.O. Box 92
Carolina, RI 02812
Phone:(401) 364-7748
http://www.salamatu.org/index.html

The Salamatu Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing library/resource centers in less developed regions of the world. They sponsor workshops and provide a sustainable supply of educational materials for those centers. Projects are designed to empower communities and individuals by enhancing their access to educational resources. They strive to establish lasting partnerships between donors and beneficiary communities.
E-Mail:  [email protected]

Sudan-American Foundation for Education (SAFE)

4141 N Henderson Road, #1205
Arlington, VA 22203 USA
Phone: (703) 525-9045
Fax: (703) 351-0782
http://www.sudan.com/safe/
 

The Sudan-American Foundation ships donates academic books to twenty universities and institutes in Sudan, based upon requests.
Contact Person: Dr. Lee G. Burchinal, Executive Director
Email: [email protected]

United States Department of State

Office of International Information Programs
301 4th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20547
http://usinfo.state.gov/homepage.htm
 

The State Department funds a small donated books program. Inquiries are invited.

Universal Book Effort (Uni-Book Effort)

5620 Williams Lake Road
Deming, WA 98244
Phone: (360) 592-2382
Fax: (360) 592-9042

Uni-Book Effort is a non-profit corporation founded in response to a need for books in developing countries. Its main source of books is discarded materials from public schools, universities and public libraries. Books have been shipped to schools and other organizations worldwide, wherever English is taught as a second language.
Contact Persons: Rick Gates and Sandi Madison, Directors
Email: [email protected]

 

The World Library Partnership, Inc.

3101 Guess Road, Suite D
Durham, NC 27705
Phone: (919) 479-0163
Fax: (919) 479-2033
http://worldlibraries.org/
 

This program connects libraries in developing countries with partner libraries in the United States. Through cultural exchange projects, library partnerships bring communities together. Through fundraisers, they provide some of the world's most impoverished libraries with desperately needed funds for books and supplies. Please see the partnership guidelines for more information about how the program works. To find out if your library is eligible, request an application or find out more about existing partnerships and partnership opportunities.
Email: [email protected]


 

World Bank Volunteer Services Book Project (WBVS)
1818 "H" St., NW
Room JB3-105
Washington, DC 20433
Phone: (202) 473-8960
Fax: (202) 522-0301
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Mrs. Elizabeth Shepherd

Used books from school systems, universities, libraries and individuals in English, occasionally a few books in French or Spanish.  WBVS Book Project is dedicated to sending books to isolated, rural, and/or needy schools, universities, libraries and hospitals. When enough book request forms are received from these institutions to justify sending a container of books to a country, WBVS finds a recipient organisation to clear the books through customs, notify the other organisations that the books have arrived and distribute them to the other recipients. The distributor can either be spouses/staff of World Bank Missions, the Peace Corps in countries where volunteers are working with libraries and schools, ministries, or local or international NGO's.  WBVS Book Project sends six containers of 400 boxes of books per year to developing countries around the world (shipping is paid to the nearest point of entry). Write to them for a book request form (do not contact the local office of the World Bank). Development workers or librarians visiting Washington D.C. can select books from their warehouse to take to libraries overseas. Due to the long waiting list of countries wanting shipments, it usually takes at least two years for WBVS to collect enough requests, find a reliable distributor, pack the shipment and send it overseas.

 

This directory was developed from the above mentioned Web sites, verified information from returned inquiries to organizations and the following sources.

Bibliography

Acquisition of Books and Journals for African Universities; A Guide for Fulbright Scholars. Washington: African Programs Branch, Academic Exchange Programs Division, U.S.Information Agency, 1990.

Book Network for International Development and Education Guide to Networking. Ottawa: Canadian Organization for Development Through Education, 1988.

Childs, William M. American Donated Books Abroad: a Guide to Distributing Organizations. Washington: American International Book Development Council, 1989.

Directory of Western Organizations Assisting Book Culture in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. New York and London: PUBWATCH and the Publishers Association, 1993.

Donated Book Programs: A Dialogue of Partners Handbook. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1993.

Doyle, Robert P., ed. Donation Programs, International Leads, 8(3) (1994)1-3,6-9.

Greenberg, Janet. ACLA Manual for International Book and Journal Donations. New York: American Council of Learned Societies, 1993.

INASP Directory 1993. London: International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications, 1993.

Kaston, Carren. The Community of the Book: a Directory of Selected Organizations and Programs. Washington: Library of Congress, 1986.

Peace Corps of the United States. Sources of Books and Periodicals for Schools and Libraries for Peace Corps Volunteers. Washington, DC: Peace Corps, 1991.

Priestley, Carol. The Book Famine: a Selective Directory for Book and Journal Assistance to Universities in Africa. Africa, 60(1)(1990)135-148.

Rowbotham, Graham. Directory of Available Resources from Donor Agencies for Books, Journals and Library Development. London: Commonwealth Higher Education Support Scheme, 1991.