Book Donation Program

When asked during a recent visit to the United States, what Sabre Foundation meant to his country, Dr. Dendev Badarch, President of the Mongolian Universities Consortium responded, "access to information and new knowledge is crucial to development."

Since its inception as the first element of the Scientific Assistance Project in 1986, Sabre’s Book Donation Program has striven to increase access in developing and transitional countries to the latest information. Working closely with overseas non-profit partner organizations like Dr. Badarch’s, Sabre has to date shipped new books, journals, CD-ROMS and early learning materials, with a total appraised value of well over $100 million, to more than 60 countries. These materials assist in-country development by helping to fill the needs of students, scientists, scholars, fledgling entrepreneurs, researchers, medical professionals and lawmakers.

"Access to information and new knowledge is crucial to development."
Dr. Dendev Badarch, Mongolian Universities Consortium

Sabre’s book donations are managed within each recipient country by local NGOs with links to academic, library, charitable or professional institutions. These partners, along with other Sabre collaborators, are responsible for receiving, warehousing and distributing books in their countries.

Sabre first works with its partner organizations to define subject areas of interest. Donations of educational materials are then solicited from U.S. and European publishers, as well as academic and professional societies. Offering lists of materials Sabre has selected and received are then sent overseas, mainly by electronic mail, and partners respond with their requests. Finally, orders are packed and shipped in twenty- or forty-foot ocean freight containers from Sabre’s warehouse facilities at Dunn & Company, Inc., in Clinton, Massachusetts. Only titles and quantities specifically requested by its partners are shipped by Sabre.

Students in Namangan, Uzbekistan, peruse books newly arrived from Sabre Foundation.

Over 200 publishers have participated in the Book Donation Program in the last 15 years. Donations have covered such fields as the arts and literature, business and economics, English language and education, geography and the environment, history, law and government, library science, medicine and nursing, computer science and the Internet. Most of the books are new, unremaindered college and professional-level titles, with a growing number of elementary and high school books donated in response to increased demand. The books generally are in English, the preferred second language in the countries served by Sabre, but Spanish-language materials at all educational levels are being added to serve the needs of planned new programs.

Sabre also manages a small-scale "Delayed Subscriptions Service," whereby journal publishers include Sabre in their list of bulk subscribers. In addition, Sabre receives valuable donations of special collections from universities and individual scholars. These are designated for institutions seeking to create specialized libraries or to enhance their holdings in specific areas.