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AGID CANADA
Book & Journal Donation Project
News Update No.5.





The AGID CANADA Book and Journal Donation Project has reached new heights of productivity over the past winter, and the aim is to complete the last of the shipments during May-June 2004. The final donations will be small consignments, each consisting of one to six boxes, to be mailed to approximately 20 recipients. These are "boutique" packages, dominated by books requested by the corresponding institutions from the last two AGID CANADA book catalogues. During the past quarter, shipments of 1 to 3 pallets (roughly 15 to 80 boxes each) have departed for Sierra Leone, Uganda, Botswana and northern India. Recently-completed or currently-scheduled shipments now packed and ready to go total roughly 800 boxes (20 tonnes) of books and journals.

book selection [25 kb]

Heavily-laden pallets have been assembled for institutions in other countries, notably Ghana, Cuba, Argentina, Mongolia, Namibia and Ethiopia. The majority of the tonnage is in the form of journal series, some of them 40 years or more in length. At the present the residual holdings of books, from all past AGID CANADA catalogues, is being divided up for shipment to the remaining recipients.

An especially satisfying accomplishment over the past few months has been the "rescue" of appreciable volumes of Canadiana (mostly reports of Canadian federal and provincial geological surveys) for shipment overseas. These include large numbers of commodity-specific reviews of the Economic Geology series of the Geological Survey of Canada. Some classic works on metals, industrial minerals and water resources will find new life abroad. These include many books whose global appeal is hidden, simply because the titles will not resonate immediately with readers unfamiliar with Canadian writers, place names, history and regional geology.

The largest shipment in the project's history is growing steadily, and is destined for Port Harcourt, Nigeria. It contains a wide range of books and journals, including multiple sets of some materials for distribution to several Nigerian universities and colleges.

We hope, in our next update, to report the complete disposition of the warehouse holdings, as we realise the long-term goal of the AGID CANADA project. The timely conclusion of the warehouse operation would not be possible without the ongoing help of both general and specialist volunteers who are assisting with aspects of selection, packing and shipping of tonnes of library materials.

Prepared by Graham Wilson, memo released on 25 April 2004, updated 11 May 2004


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or contact us at:

AGID CANADA, c/o
Dr Owen L. White
P.O. Box 860, Station K,
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 2H2 Canada

Tel (416)-481-4731
Fax (416)-482-4256
E-mail owen.white@sympatico.ca