[Libs-Or] Fwd: Better World Books

Wed Aug 13 09:32:32 PDT 2014

I agree with Leah. We sent 50+ boxes to BWB this summer. There is a time
investment so matter what method you choose to process discards. BWB was
very easy and I like that there was just one place we were sending our
books. We're done and we've made a bit of money. 

Jan Kelley

Library Director

Flint Memorial Library

New Hope Christian College

Eugene, OR 97405

From: Libs-Or [mailto:libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf
Of Leah Griffith
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 6:28 PM
To: Valerie Hauser
Cc: libs-or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us; neichste at pdx.edu
Subject: Re: [Libs-Or] Fwd: Better World Books

We like BWB just for the fact we can get rid of boxes and boxes of materials
in the easiest fashion we've ever experienced.  

Leah Griffith  //  Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 12, 2014, at 6:05 PM, "Valerie Hauser" <vhauser at ccrls.org> wrote:

We tried BWB, but didn't make enough money to bother with it. We're a very
small library. I didn't send junkie stuff, and was surprised at how little
sold. We're doing better selling through Powell's, but they require like-new
books. Still, their process is very easy. 

Valerie Hauser
Jefferson Public Library

On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 8:07 AM, Megan Dugan <Megan.Dugan at mhcc.edu> wrote:

I agree with everything Abbie said below. We have also used BWB at Mt. Hood
for our discards for over a year. They have several charitable donations to
choose from which our staff thought was a benefit (we voted). We are not in
it for the money but the convenience and ease of use. Last year, MHCC
conducted a massive weed of our collection for the first time in many years
and would not have been able to without BWB.

Best,

Megan

Megan Dugan
Library Manager
Mt. Hood Community College
503.491.7652
megan.dugan at mhcc.edu

From: Libs-Or [mailto:libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf
Of Abbie Anderson
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 6:16 PM
To: libs-or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Cc: neichste at pdx.edu
Subject: Re: [Libs-Or] Fwd: Better World Books

We've been using Better World Books at North Bend Public Library for about a
year and a half now. It has been a huge benefit for us. You won't make much
money from the 15% commission, but they provide you with boxes and UPS
labels (which you print out), and they pay for UPS shipping. You just have
to be able to box up the materials and get online to print the labels and
schedule the pick-up. Knowing that the books will be used well (they will be
sold to eager readers worldwide, or used in literacy programs worldwide, or
recycled) is a big bonus. You can also apply to them for grants for your own
local literacy projects.

Access to BWB helped us recruit and organize volunteers to sort our book
donations year round. The volunteers were inspired to help the library earn
more money by skimming off the best quality items, checking their value, and
selling them online directly through an Amazon Storefront for the Friends
(http://ow.ly/oY4Qh). The organized sorting effort also improved the quality
of books on our Friends' "Neverending" Sale shelves, *and* improved the
books and the organization of the books for the Friends' big local sales. We
have seen revenue from the Neverending sale go up to a steady $250+/month,
and online sales are also about $300/month. For us, that's a lot!

I have heard that a PDX-area library's Friends have been using BWB to great
success-was it Beaverton?

I know a lot of libraries use BWB for their discards--books that the Friends
usually aren't going to want for their sales.

One caveat: having also bought books from BWB on Amazon, I can say as a
customer that I don't like their packaging. They use this weird shrink-wrap
stuff for single-book orders, which clings to the book cover. The book I
most recently got from them was fine, thanks to the mylar cover on the
ex-library book I purchased, but I can see this stuff causing damage, or
allowing damage in transit.

Cheers,
Abbie Anderson

On 08/04/2014 08:04 PM, Ruth Murray wrote:

Can anyone help my friend? Her email is neichste at pdx.edu  Thanks- Ruth

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Nancy Eichsteadt <neichste at pdx.edu>
Date: Mon, Aug 4, 2014 at 9:54 AM
Subject: Better World Books
To: Ruth Murray <murrayr at pdx.edu>

Hi Ruth, 

I'm recovering from our big book sale this weekend. We ended up with lots of
leftovers that should have gone to a buyer who backed out at the last
minute. I'm looking online at "Better World Books." I realize they are a
for-profit organization that supposedly helps with literacy issues
world-wide. What does the library community think of this group? 

Thanks,

Nancy

-- 

  <http://webdev.pdx.edu/media/psu_signature165x35.gif> 

Nancy Eichsteadt
Marketing and outreach
Graduate School of Education
Executive Council Member, PSU-AAUP
Portland State University

PO Box 751
615 SW Harrison
Suite 412
Portland, Oregon 97207-0751
Phone 503-725-5577
Fax 503-725-5599
neichste at pdx.edu
Graduate School of Education <http://www.pdx.edu/education> 
Graduate School of Education Blog <http://schoolofed.wordpress.com/> 

-- 

Ruth Murray
Portland State University GSE
Library Media Advisor/Instructor
503 725- 9860 <tel:503%20725-%209860> 
Office- Education 310B
Hours- Tuesday and Thursday by appointment
PO Box 751
Portland, Oregon 97207

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**************************
Abbie Anderson
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North Bend Public Library
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