2008 May - Better World Books Blog - Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Community Outreach & more

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Chicago, Navy Pier, Game Time!

Posted by admin on 05.15.2008 at 2:26 pm

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).

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, chicago, green festival

Better World Softball

Posted by admin on 05.14.2008 at 9:10 am

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?

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, library, softball

Show Us Some Love, May 12 Edition

Posted by admin on 05.12.2008 at 2:11 pm

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!”

Have your say » | Tagged Show Us Some Love

Campus Shout Out: UBC

Posted by admin on 05.12.2008 at 10:37 am

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!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, book drive, campus, Golden Key, UBC

Tips from the Bookdrive King!

Posted by King on 05.12.2008 at 9:59 am

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!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, Aaron King, book drive, campus, king of book drives

Tips from the Bookdrive King!

Posted by King on 05.12.2008 at 9:55 am

-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.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, Aaron King, book drive, campus, king of book drives

A Perfect Partnership: BWB Joins Literacy Council of St. Joseph Country to Combat Illiteracy

Posted by admin on 05.07.2008 at 2:39 pm

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.

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, in our communities, literacy, maura varian

A Pilgrim’s Progress

Posted by Rudy on 05.06.2008 at 6:58 am

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.

In my hands I held a first U.S. edition, first printing (stated G-T) of Time Must Have a Stop, Huxley’s 1944 dystopia. Huxley is, of course, more widely known as the author of Brave New World, the first of a series of rather famous novels which would appear in the mid-20th century, depicting the future downfall of society. It would be followed by Orwell’s 1984 in 1949 and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 in 1953. It is fairly unremarkable as far as first editions go; it is one of Huxley’s later works and is in less than mint condition. Nevertheless, this volume has captivated my attention for the last few days.

As I began to thumb through it, I discovered a number of ephemeron between the leaves: a New York Times clipping of a ‘study’ of James Joyce dated 22 December 1957, the front and rear flaps of the missing dust jacket, and pages 509-512 of C. Rolo’s omnibus of Huxley’s work, The World of Aldous Huxley. Perhaps most interesting, though, is a post card addressed to one J. Richard Stafford of Elyria, Ohio, from none other than Aldous Huxley. “Thank you,” Huxley writes in his own hand, “for your friendly letter. I can’t answer your Questions [sic.] about Pound, as I know too little of his work. Aldous Huxley.” The stationery bears the name of Aldous L. Huxley, Wrightwood , California . Huxley has marked through Wrightwood and written above it: “3276 Deronda , LA 28” (now 90068 – there’s a neat ‘street view’ on Google™ Maps).

I cannot describe how captivating I found this volume. I began to examine each page of the volume, looking for notes, doodles, anything to tell me more about this Mr. Stafford. Was he a familiar of Huxley’s? of Pound’s? Was he a scholar? Was he simply drawing parallels between the work of the two men? Alas, I have found nothing, though not for lack of trying. The postmark of the card is not completely visible; I can only make out December. The rate for a postcard, however, was 2-cents, so it was likely after January 1952 when that new rate took effect (it had been 1-cent since 1898!). There is, at present, a home at the address to which Huxley addressed the card, but I have not been able to reach anyone there, though it is not as if estates were retained in families as in days gone by. But, I digress. Enough!

This short journey of mine to explore the life-history of this particular book – its various relics and hagiography – and its presumed owner, Mr. Stafford, as well as the latter’s relationship with Huxley, has consumed my days of late. It is as if this particular volume is on its own pilgrimage, from owner to owner, from shelf to shelf, giving witness not only to itself but to those with whom it has come into contact. I, on the other hand, am more like a spectator than a pilgrim. Yet, without we spectators, who were somehow foreseen like Waugh’s builders of Brideshead, these pilgrims would fall victim to a fate too horrible to imagine. It is their journey that we share and, in doing so, share in those of one another. I am happy to have been along its way and to have shared in its journey.

Have your say » | Tagged Antiquarian Ramblings, ARC, huxley, joyce, Rudy Reyes Jr.

Love from the Red and Black

Posted by admin on 05.05.2008 at 2:04 pm

(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.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, books for africa, newspaper, press, UGA, University in Georgia

Tips from the Bookdrive King!

Posted by King on 05.02.2008 at 9:29 am

-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.