How to Donate Used Books Overseas
Organizations that coordinate the distribution of books overseas welcome donations of used books. Some organizations focus on a particular location, such as Asia Foundation/Books for Asia. Some focus on a particular group of recipients; Operation Bookshelf in New York, for example, donates books to American Peace Corp groups in Africa and the Philippines. The Peace Corp groups then distribute the books to needy organizations. Book Aid International donates books to developing countries for use in educational facilities and literacy programs. Many organizations donate books to U.S. troops stationed overseas. Since all book-donating organizations have different requirements, it is best to research them to get specific instructions before making your donations.
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Instructions
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Donate to a Specific Country
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Gather together the books you want to donate. Be sure they are in good condition.
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Visit the American Library Association website, the ALADIN Toolkit website through UNESCO or any other website that lists contact information for organizations that accept books for distribution to foreign countries.
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Review the lists of organizations and visit the websites of any that interest you. Some organizations prefer new books, but will accept used books if they are in good condition.
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Decide which organization you prefer to use and contact the organization for specific instructions if its website does not provide them.
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Pack the books and ship them according to the organization's instructions. Usually the organization asks you to ship the books to its U.S. facility. Then the organization takes care of shipping them to the foreign country.
Donate to U.S. Troops Overseas
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Gather together the books you want to donate. Be sure they are in good condition.
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Visit websites of organizations that handle the distribution of used books to U.S. troops stationed overseas. Examples are Got Books, Operation Paperback and Books for Soldiers.
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Read the requirements of each organization. Some require that you register in order to donate books. After registration, some organizations give you access to a list of troop members requesting books, and some require that you log in to request addresses of troop members asking for books. Others, such as Got Books, will send a box of books to a specific troop member when you specify the name on its website.
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Decide which organization you prefer to use.
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Pack the books and ship them according to the organization's instructions.
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References
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