Donations

Donating books

Each year SAFE sends a shipment of approximately 10,000 donated text and reference books to the Sudan for distribution among schools, universities, and libraries. Over sixty organizations have received books form SAFE. We eagerly seek books in a wide variety of disciplines and fields for use at the university level and for adult readers.

We ask you to consider the following selection criteria as you think about books you may donate. Also, we offer some suggestions for sources of books for donation to SAFE. In making a book donation, you can either ship or deliver books to our warehouse in Beltsville , MD. In either case, we ask that you contact Dr. Burchinal , executive director of SAFE, for instructions.

Selection criteria

Books in almost every academic discipline or field are needed. Because of the expense in shipping books to Sudan , we ask donors to adhere to the following selection criteria.

1. Type of books- textbooks, reference books
2. Level - graduate and professional, undergraduate, 12th grade ( U.S. ), books suitable for adult readers
3. Publication date – we prefer books published within the last 10 years, but will accept books published earlier – in some fields basic knowledge does not change that quickly; also we welcome “classics” in any field, regardless of their age
4. Number - from single copies for use as a library reference to hundreds for use as a text book

Fields and disciplines

Agriculture (all fields and applications)

Bio-chemistry

Business management

Communications, journalism, mass media

Computer and information sciences and applications

Development related (rural, national, economic, social)

Early childhood development and early childhood education

Ecology and environmental sciences and applications

Economics - all areas and applications

Education, teaching materials

Encyclopedias, including children's encyclopedias

Engineering - chemical, civil, electrical, hydrological, mechanical,

petroleum

English – anthologies, classic novels, literacy criticism, reference books, textbooks, writing

guides

English as a foreign language – TESOL materials

Family sciences, all fields and applications

Food sciences, nutrition

Home economics, family and consumer sciences

Law

Linguistics

Management, including business administration

Mathematics and statistics

Medicine, all fields, including nursing

Novels, fiction, particularly the classics

Psychology, texts and reference materials in all fields, including tests and measuring instruments

(IQ, personality, etc.)

Rural sociology and rural development

Sciences - botany, biology, chemistry, geology, physics, zoology

Social sciences, specifically anthropology, sociology, including rural sociology

Statistics

Women's studies, women in development

In addition, we seek books in several special areas. These include:

•  Adult literacy education

•  Books for new readers who are learning English

•  Books for use by adult readers at several public libraries

We are now accumulating books for our shipment in the coming year. You can help by donating books and by asking colleagues, friends, and your university library or book store for books.

The value of books donated to SAFE can be claimed as a tax deduction. More importantly, you will help reduce the "book famine" in Sudanese libraries.

You can designate where books you donate will be delivered

You can designate where you want the books you donate to go to. For example, Dr. Kenyon, Butler University , donated 1,400 books for use at Sennar University ; Dr. Galal Yousif, Michigan State University , and colleagues collected approximately 2,500 books for delivery to Khartoum University . To designate a specific destination, simply put the name of the institution on each box, preferable in Arabic and in English, and staff at the Ahfad University for Women, who arrange for distribution of books, will set these boxes aside for pick up by representatives of the designated institution. Otherwise, books are sent by SAFE are available for selection by representatives of all organizations that come to a Book Fair organized by the Ahfad University for Women , SAFE's partner in the Sudan .

Suggestions for acquiring books to donate to SAFE

Here are a few suggestions for obtaining books for Sudanese libraries:

1. Look at your own book shelves. You probably have a number of books in areas wanted by Sudanese faculty and librarians that you no longer use. Why not send them to SAFE for delivery to faculty and students who will eagerly use them? 
2. If you are a student, ask your professors if they have books they don't use and would be willing to donate for use in Sudanese university libraries. 
3. See what your bookstore or student co-op does with books no longer listed for any courses. Maybe, like we found at the George Washington University Bookstore, the manager will be happy to donate the books rather than have them reduced to a pulp. 
4. Ask if your bookstore or co-op will set up a drop off site for books for books that the bookstore or co-op is not buying back from students. Many students will be willing to toss books they can't sell into a donation box. 
5. Inquire whether a service or discipline club (economics, anthropology, etc.) at your university will sponsor a book drive. SAFE has received books in this way from clubs at Alvenia College , Berry College, and Ohio University , to name a few examples. Getting an article in your student newspaper on any book drive you and other students organize will help boost donations. 
6. Also, see what your library does with books they declare as surplus. Often, libraries get donations of books from faculty, many of which the library does not want. The manager of the acquisition or collections department of your library may be glad for you to take these books.

In all cases, however, we ask that you review titles and select books that match the criteria set by Sudanese faculty and librarians. We don't have the manpower to review books sent to our warehouse. We have to trust the judgment of the donors. We want to avoid spending precious dollars for shipment of books that are not wanted or will not be used by Sudanese faculty and students.

Each book you send will become a valuable addition to a library collection somewhere in the Sudan .

Sending books to SAFE

Persons living in the Washington , D.C. area may deliver books to the warehouse used by SAFE. Those living further away will have to rely on mail or a delivery service. Unfortunately, SAFE is unable to pay for the cost of shipping books to the Beltsville, MD, warehouse. In either case, we ask donors to contact Dr. Burchinal prior to donating books or other materials. Dr. Burchinal's "thank you" reply may be used to document your contribution as a legitimate tax-deduction. Dr. Burchinal can be reached as follows:

Dr. Lee Burchinal, Executive Director
Sudan-American Foundation for Education, Inc.

lee.burchinal@verizon.net