Thanks to all of those who are utilizing our new PreScreen Program.  It is a great tool to determine what books are good to send to Better World Books.  If you do not currently have access to the PreScreen Program or would like to find out more, please contact your Account Representative or email us at library@betterworldbooks.com.

Reminder: For those of you who are shipping via UPS, please keep in mind that we have a six (6) box minimum per shipment.

Also as a reminder, we are unable to accept books that are dirty, moldy, water damaged, binding damaged, missing covers or pages, have excessive writing, markings, or highlighting, cut out library treatments, or soft-cover books warped from gaylord storage or shipping. 

For the complete list, click here.

The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) is proud to have partnered with Better World Books since 2005 to help parents and children throughout the U.S. improve their lives through literacy.

Better World Books has provided NCFL with more than $300,000 to support its many literacy initiatives. This funding includes support for a special library program for the parents and children living in the Gulf Coast region that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Launched in 2007, the Libraries Are Family Fun

program was implemented in school libraries in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Kiln and Gautier communities in Mississippi. 

With funding from Better World Books and special materials and training support from NCFL , school librarians in each of these communities led a series of “family fun nights.” At these events the librarians modeled read-aloud techniques for parents and shared simple, everyday literacy activities that parents and children could do together. As a result, many parents realized the importance of their efforts in helping their children read and learn. All participating families were given books and activities to take home.

After reading this book, I totally understand why ‘ The Wednesday Letters ’ by Jason F. Wright is on the New York Times Best Seller’s list.  Set in Woodstock, a small town along Route 11 in 1980’s Virginia; this heartwarming story gives you a glimpse into the lives of the Cooper Family after the death of Jack and Laurel Cooper. Soon after, the Cooper children stumble upon thousands of “Wednesday Letters” which reveal a devastating truth, changing the Cooper family forever.  The story is one forgiveness and redemption and is a must read!

                                                               ~ K. Emery

Purchase your new or used copy of 'The Wednesday Letters' by Jason F. Wright at www.betterworld.com. Use discount code D&D_2008 to receive 10% off of your entire purchase!

The Bailey Library at Slippery Rock University is a relative newcomer to the Better World Books Library Discards & Donations Program and is finding a tremendous benefit through our new PreScreen Program.  To let them tell it:

“Since using Better World Books, we have been able to sort the titles using Better World’s (PreScreen) system and let BetterWorld.com sell for us.  We still have book sales, but find we don’t have any leftovers.  We no longer have to cut apart covers, sort paper and have someone come pick up the recycled material.  It’s a win-win situation, our Friends group profits from Better World selling for us and we also get to donate to the National Center For Family Literacy”.

In fact, the efforts of the Bailey Library have already generated over $100 for literacy on just over 200 books sold and we know that they are just getting started!  Through their future shipments, they will continue to create funding for NCFL to further their mission to create educational and economic opportunity for the most at-risk children and parents here in the United States.  With the extra revenue they will generate for their Friends of the Bailey Library, they intend to purchase the leisure reading materials and best sellers that they offer in the comfort of the library’s reading room.  

Special thanks to Mary Purdy for pioneering the Better World Books Library Discards & Donations PreScreen Program at her library and for her contributions to this article.  You can find out more about the happenings at the Bailey Library by visiting their blog Cites & Bytes @ Bailey.

Christian Blue started his journey with the Library Division of Better World Books at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in 2007.  He loves his Account Representative position because every day, there is an opportunity make a difference.  “I like to view each acquisition as funding for opportunities through education”.  Outside of work, Christian enjoys traveling near and far, bowling, a well made sandwich, mountains and sweating when it’s cold outside. 

Drop him a line at cblue@betterworldbooks.com!

I’m a book lover (alias: hoarder; scientific name: bibliophile). I enjoy looking at books: holding them, flipping pages, separating un-cut periodical pages, etc. I am hard pressed to read anything on the screen. I find it so difficult to have any kind of interaction with a screen. Anything sent to me in this way is printed out at first opportunity (on the back of scrap paper, of course).

In some ways, the work that I do at Better World Books suits me perfectly. I get to hold some of the gems that all of you send to us each day: a first edition Roll, Jordan, Roll; a second printing Bell Jar; an autographed, first edition Zane Grey. The list goes on. I wonder how much a signed, “first download” copy of J.K. Rowling’s latest is going for these days?

So, no, e-readers are not bad for companies like ours. In fact, perhaps they might even help us out. Recent chatter has suggested that Google’s book scanning project has increased demand for paper copies of books by a measurable amount. It would seem that folks have more access to and awareness of books that they would like to have: to hold, to read, to treasure. I’d say the same will likely come of the e-reader: how else can one feel the same sense of accomplishment other than by turning pages? No, physical books will never be replaced. Libraries, bookstores, and living rooms; they will always be a place where humanity can go to explore the thoughts of others as well as their own.

When my friend and I finally reached the opera house, we were exhausted. Waiting for the overture, I thought aloud: “I suppose that we could have purchased a recording from iTunes or gone to one of The Met’s Hi-Def Broadcasts and avoided the trip here.” As we heard Violetta’s opening lines, performed that night by Renee Fleming, that idea seemed to fade into the distance. It was definitely worth the trip.

What an exciting year! Better World Books made the cover of Business Week-Small Biz (Dec 2007/Jan 2008 Issue). To read the full article, click here.

But we didn’t stop there!  We were also recognized by Fast Company Magazine (Dec 2007/Jan 2008 Issue), and awarded a 2008 Social Capitalist Award! To read the full article, click here.

Conferences:

• PLA 12th National Conference: Booth #956 March 25-29, 2008, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• ULA-MPLA 2008 Conference: April 29 - May 2, 2008, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Other Notable Dates:

• World Book Day: March 6th.
• National Conference on Family Literacy: March 30 - April 1, 2008.
• 50th Anniversary of National Library Week: April 13 - April 19, 2008.