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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/14923/full/14923/novato-volunteer-is-seeking-25-000-books-for-israel-library/ <br /><br /> <b>Novato volunteer is seeking 25,000 books for Israel library</b> <br /> Friday, January 26, 2001 | by <p>ALEZA GOLDSMITH </p> <br /><br /><p>Since 1987, the Novato-based Global Book Exchange has shipped books to more than 30 countries.<br /><br /> Before the end of 2001, that worldwide roster will include Israel.<br /><br /> GBX founder Marilyn Levin Nemzer is currently arranging a donation of about 25,000 books for a public library in the port city of Ashdod. This is a great opportunity, said Levin Nemzer, "to donate books directly to our homeland."<br /><br /> The project is sponsored by Gerry Burstain, an Israeli native living in San Diego and a friend of Ashdod's mayor, Zvi Zilker.<br /><br /> "It's difficult for them to come by books printed in English," said Burstain, explaining that the centrally located library carries books of several languages but wants to increase its English collection. When Zilker informed him of this difficulty, Burstain immediately turned to the GBX.<br /><br /> Levin Nemzer hopes to collect a substantial number of children's and adult hardback books to send to Ashdod in the spring.<br /><br /> Levin Nemzer, whose full-time job is as executive director of the nonprofit California Study and Geothermal Education Office, which she founded, established the book exchange somewhat by accident.<br /><br /> It was the late 1980s. Levin Nemzer, who ran a tutoring service in Marin, learned that local schools had extra books that they were planning to dump. Rather than let the books end up in landfills, Levin Nemzer offered to find them homes.<br /><br /> But what started out as 80 boxes of hand-me-down books quickly grew to 120. It was "a lot like having babies," she said. Once the books started pouring in, "I couldn't just give them back."<br /><br /> Levin Nemzer put an ad in the newspaper advertising free books for nonprofits and put the books out on her driveway. People from hospitals, day care centers, schools, prisons and other organizations responded in droves. By noon on the day Levin Nemzer advertised, every book was gone.<br /><br /> Soon more hand-me-down books landed on Levin Nemzer's driveway. Her one-time attempt to save thousands of books was growing into a full-fledged hobby.<br /><br /> So the San Francisco native moved into donated office space and opened the GBX, requesting that people give books and also suggest donation destinations. The response was huge.<br /><br /> "I was just overwhelmed by how many hundreds and hundreds of books began arriving," she said. "People were bringing them in truckloads, from all over California."<br /><br /> With the help of volunteers of all ages, more than one million books have reached worldwide destinations rather than becoming the fodder of landfills.<br /><br /> All administration and operation of GBX is strictly volunteer. Usually volunteers will help pack books into a 20 foot container, which holds between 450 to 500 boxes, about 15,000 to 20,000 books for shipment.<br /><br /> The GBX, however, only provides the books—shipment is requested, paid for and carried out by whoever sponsored the individual project. For instance, it will be Burstain's responsibility to take care of shipping the books for Ashdod.<br /><br /> Recent book collections include a shipment to Rwanda for children whose parents were the victims of genocide and another to a library in a Chinese village near Shanghai.<br /><br /> Since the GBX's initiation, it has been the recipient of several awards including a United States Environmental Protection Agency award in 1990 and an Earth Day Every Day award from the Marin Community Foundation in 1996.<br /><br /> After humble beginnings in a small San Rafael office space, the GBX has relocated to a larger space in Novato. It is now in the midst of a move to an even larger space, also in Novato.<br /><br /> As always, said Levin Nemzer, she can use volunteers to help with the move or with packing books for Ashdod.<br /><br /> "Why do I do this? I don't know," she said. "I guess it's just the type of person I am."<br /><br /> As a Jew, however, Levin Nemzer has a special feeling about the Ashdod project. "It makes me feel good," she said, "knowing the books are going to Israel. I think the Bay Area Jewish community will like the opportunity as well."<br /><br /> The GBX seeks books and volunteers. For a listing of book types needed, visit the GBX Web site at <a href="http://bookexchange.marin.org">http://bookexchange.marin.org</a> or call (415) 883-2665.</p> <p> </p>

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