Yesterday, while at a the Science Museum, we wandered down a hallway and discovered a display about Books for Africa. Currently the emphasis is on sending books to Gambia. Why? The exhibit explains that the literacy rate in Gambia is only 40%. One reason for such a low literacy rate is that the country is part of the book famine. It is difficult to learn to read and then develop more advanced reading skills when there are no books!
This organization has its offices in Saint Paul and on its web site one can see the place books can be delivered locally. Books for other locations in the United States may be sent to a Georgia address. See the web site for more information.
The present exhibit at the Science Museum explains that students from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design are working on how to make book shelves economically to safely store and display books in hot and humid environments.
In the past couple years I have had the privilege of touring some libraries in Europe that hold books beginning at the time when books began to be printed. That experience, as well as this, reminds me how much we take books for granted. Yet for others their lack remains a huge problem. Hope you will explore this web site and see if there is any way you may be helpful.
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