News
Three tonnes of used law books have been shipped to Zambia, Malawi and Ethiopia over the summer through the International Law Book Facility (ILBF).
The books are sent to law societies, pro bono groups and law libraries at universities overseas, and there are 5,000 further donated books sorted and ready for future shipments at the ILBF’s London book respository.
Book donors use the ILBF’s list of “wanted” books to identify the wanted titles, and books have been donated by barristers’ chambers, law firms, legal publishers and HM Courts Service.
In 2006 the ILBF made 12 consignments of law reports and encyclopaedias to the Caribbean as well as shipments to Uganda and Tanzania with Book Aid International.
Paul Lowenstein, chairman of the ILBF operating committee, says: “This pro bono initiative is shipping a tonne of used law books a month, which might have otherwise have been thrown away, to be actively used where there is most need. [They make] a huge difference especially in the student community. The books are contributing to the learning process of the would-be professionals and the delivery of justice in the country.”
The charity relies on volunteers from the Law Society, the International Bar Association, the Bar, Book Aid International, law firms and legal publishers to carry out its work, so administrative costs are zero. However, it is looking for funding to pay shipment costs for future shipments.
See www.ilbf.org.uk for more details.
