Library News: BookMooch

KASAMA Vol. 23 No. 1 / January-February-March 2009 / Solidarity Philippines Australia Network

by Kasama Editor, Dee Dicen Hunt

I confess to at least one obsession — books. I am drawn to them like magnets. In shops, libraries, even in other people’s homes, I find my fingers running along their spines, my eyes seeking out familiar authors and unfamiliar titles. I get a buzz from books, like that first cup of tea in the morning and the second cup of coffee for breakfast. When I’m away from books I get withdrawal symptoms. When the hustle of town gets too much, I chill out in the public library. And if I’ve got a serious case of writer’s ‘block’ and the blank whiteness of the computer screen is driving me crazy, I cruise the web for book reviews. I like books; it’s an addiction.

In March I found a web site that scratches my book itch. It’s called BookMooch — a social networking site where you can give away books you no longer need and get books you really want — an online book exchange based on a points system where your only cost is mailing your books to others. There is no middle-man, other than the web site itself, and it’s free to join. There are no annoying adverts; the site is commercial free. You can even donate your accumulated points to BookMooch charities.

Where? http://bookmooch.com.

Quick, stop reading, go there right now! If you go to my bio page at bookmooch.com/bio/deedicenhunt and click on Inventory, you will find a few Philippine texts there. SPAN has some duplicate material left over from when we used to run market stalls. I’ll keep listing these as I get time as well as books from my own library.

If you search the BookMooch site for “Philippines” you will find others with Filipiniana in their inventories. The Quezon City Public Library is in the Charities List and you can donate the points you gain to them. Why not visit the QC library if you are in Manila or on the web at http://www.qcpubliclibrary.org/.

Happy mooching Booklovers.