& What Kind of Books?

All kinds of books are needed and gratefully received! Here are some guidelines.

Yes, all books will be appreciated by our grateful recipients, but when contributing books, please consider the following:

• Physical Condition - Books do NOT have to be new. If they are gently used, they need to be complete, clean, and durable. In other words, do not donate a book if it is shabby, soiled or torn in any way, defaced by writing, poorly bound, or marred by missing pages or serious misprints.

• Age - Depending on the type of book, age can be important in the evaluation process:

- Atlases should not be more than 5 years old.

- Encyclopedias should be the most current edition. They are usually only reprinted every 8 years. Older editions can be seriously out of date.

- Educational textbooks, especially in the fields of medicine, science, social science and the humanities should be current or no more than 10 years

• Content - This requires sensitivity to the values of potential recipients. Pay attention to the following:

- Ethnocentrism: Many early history and geography textbooks, as well as books in the social sciences and anthropology reflect a European point of view that may perpetuate stereotypes about the "third world."

- Religion: Books that would be used for evangelizing are not appropriate; however, books on comparative religion or the history and philosophy of different religions are suitable.

- Culture: Consider whether the subject of the book is relevant only to a North American or European audience, and therefore not appropriate for an African reader. Some examples are: cookbooks, books on ice-hockey or home decorating books.

• Especially Needed

- Children’s or young adult’s storybooks

- College textbooks

- Science, math, journalism & parliamentary procedure books

- Dictionaries, thesauruses, atlases & other reference books

Contributing to Africa's Literacy & Education with Books:

The CALEB Library Project

Feedback, submissions, ideas? Email

vjpulver@pulverpages.com