September 8th was the 42nd celebration of International Literacy Day. There are now close to 4 billion literate people in the world and Better World Books applauds those achievements. There is still much to be done to promote literacy and while we strive to every day, September 8th gave us a special opportunity to try to do more.
The 2007 theme was “Literacy, key to good health and well-being”. In conjunction, the Atlanta office sent two representatives to visit one of the new Wellness Information Zones developed in partnership by Libraries for the Future and The Humana Foundation. These physical stations located within select libraries are aimed at reducing the number of people who have difficulty obtaining, understanding and acting on basic health information. Through the Wellness Information Zones and www.wellzone.org people will have access to reliable health information that they can use to make positive decisions about their health.
In addition to the continuing education of our staff, Better World Books had organized a number of initiatives to commemorate the day. From offering tips to promote literacy and discounts on purchases at www.BetterWorld.com, Better World Books hopes to bring necessary awareness to the global pandemic that is illiteracy. As an added measure, the Library Division of Better World Books distributed a press release to targeted cities.
I encourage all of our readers, staff and supporters to think about the impact that literacy has on your own lives. Thank those who have contributed to this gift and yourself for sharpening this tool.
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” –Mark Twain
