So remember a long time back I raised a whole bunch of money for my Library Project? Well now is the time to use it… on shipping. I know this sounds like a drag, but I really believe it’s going to be fantastic!

So why is this money being spent on shipping? Originally when I went over to Malawi, I figured I’d just order the books over there. But I soon realized that there are very few book distributors in Malawi (2 to my knowledge) and they deal mainly in government-curriculum books. Clearly I want our library to be stocked with a wide array of literature, so that wasn’t going to work! So I began looking online at places in South Africa, figuring that they’d have a better selection and shipping wouldn’t be soooo bad. Well I was wrong. The books themselves are very expensive and so was shipping. SO I’ve decided that it would be much more cost effective to do book drives here in the States and then ship the books on an ocean freighter to Africa. Even though this in itself is costly, I’ll be able to send thousands of gently-loved books for the same price that only a thousand would cost in Malawi.

And this is where ya’ll come in! I’m collecting books to send. New or gently-loved are totally fine.

Two community libraries will be the main recipients. I’ll be there in Malawi to handle all of the distributions to make sure that the books actually go to the right people! Both projects were initiated by community members and will be completely managed by locals (after a little organizing help from myself since they don’t have the whole Dewey Decimal System knowledge). Such community involvement is vital since it means 1. We know there is a true need and desire for the library and 2. The building and books will be well taken care of over the years, rather than falling into disrepair after I leave. We’re starting these libraries from scratch, so basically any type of book will be most welcome!

M.I.R.A.C.L.E. Technical College (where I work as a librarian and fundraiser – and have been for the last year) will also be a side benefactor. What we really need are trade books! Because we have none even though we are a trade school… that has no textbooks. I have lost count of how many times students have asked me when the school will make trade books available to them. So if we get any technical books, those will go to M.I.R.A.C.L.E.

What kind of books should you send?

- Children’s books
- Young adult books – Remember that even high school kids in Africa are still English-as-a-Second-Language speakers. Most are fluent… but simpler young adult books would still be a better fit for them than, say, Dickens or Woolf. :) Harry Potter and Twilight seem to be roaring successes over there just like they are here.
- General fiction
- Technical books – about the following trades:
o Electrical (basic wire work, machinery, etc.)
o Carpentry
o Hotel & Catering (includes culinary, restaurant service, hotels, housekeeping, tourism)
o Tailoring
o Welding
o Agriculture
o Bricklaying
- African literature – It’s a shame that in all of my cataloging at M.I.R.A.C.L.E., I came across very few African-centered resources. These could include fiction, history, sociology, political. Anything really.
- Science books – These are always wanted by students to serve as secondary resources for their classes, mainly Biology and Applied Sciences (related to electricity or engineering).
- Religious books – Again, always a crowd pleaser within Malawi’s very religious society. Bibles are one of our most frequent requests.
- English grammar books – Helpful for those who are trying to improve their English.
- History
- Sociology/ Anthropology
- Business/ Entrepreneurship
- HIV/AIDS information – Unfortunately, there’s never enough literature on such a prevalent topic… and even worse, what we do have is usually biased and border-line offensive/fear-inducing. It’d be nice to be able to offer more effective resources.

If you’re interested in helping me out, send me a message at alysonyoungpeter@yahoo.com and I will get back to you about how we can pick up/drop off books. If you live anywhere close to me, odds are I’d be more than willing to swing by and pick them up! I’ll be around until the end of December, although I’ll probably stop collecting in early December so I can manage all of the packaging and shipment details before I go back to Malawi.

If you work at a school (or have a friend who does) and would be interested in making this a classroom project, feel free! I’d be more than willing to come talk to the kids or make flyers, etc.

Thanks for all of the support thus far!