This is information for US Peace Corps volunteers only.

You can also read about Book Aid in your pamphlet "Sources of Donated Books and Periodicals" that was given to you in training.  If you want teachers at your school to request the books themselves, have them email Mrs. Eleanor King at Grameek@aol.com.

For a PCV to request a shipment, s/he must put this information in the body of an email to Peggy Minnis at BookAid@aol.com:

1. your COS date,
2. the ages of your reading audiences,
3. the US grade equivalent of your reading audience (e.g., reading at grade levels 1-7),
4. types of books that would be most useful (e.g., kiddie lit, preschool, environmental, high school math)
5. your mailing address, in English. If you have a problem getting mail in English, mention it in your email.  

If you are mailing a request, send it to
Peggy Minnis
Peace Corps Desk
Darien Book Aid Plan, Inc.
1926 Post Road
Darien, CT 06820 USA

Overseas shipments are made through Pitney Bowes' IMEX delivery service.  We think they go through the regular mail system once they get into your host country.  Shipments can take from ten days to three months, depending upon how things go once they get inside your country.   Shipments to US Zip-coded Pacific Islands go via the US Postal Service and they take a little longer.

As a guide in remembering what kinds of books are normally available in US libraries and schools, a category list can be consulted.  Remember that Book Aid normally sends about 30 pounds of books, so think about the weight of the books you are thinking of requesting.  Don't send a long list that would require 150 pounds of books to fill.  Set your priorities yourself.  If you absolutely need a class set of a genre of book, tell us the genre, not the exact book title. We can't send an encyclopedia anymore, unless you are in the FSM.
For a brief video of what Book Aid looks like, click here.

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