Borderline Books UK

free books - free minds

Sobre nosotros

There are a number of organizations in Europe shipping books to countries in Africa and Asia, but very few which collect overstocks and lightly damaged copies for distribution to vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Britain.
We aim to reduce the number of books pulped and to provide free books for those who otherwise might not have adequate access to books for various reasons.

Borderline Books UK began in 2006 and is based in Gateshead but ready to spread far and wide. Eventually we hope to set up BookSpaces all over the country so that people who need them are never far from a source of free books.
Our books have always been given away free and that´s how we plan to continue. All the furnishings in the BookSpaces are recycled, freecycled, freegled or otherwise donated. The only things we bought were rubbish bins and a washing-up bowl.

We do our best not to create waste and use even the most battered of books to create art projects.
We are looking to form partnerships with organizations working to empower disadvantaged people and setting up work-projects.
Ideally, BookSpaces are not only full of books, but full of people with creative ideas and the wish to inspire others. They can provide a great venue for writing groups, language and literacy classes and almost anything you might care to dream of.

Book donation
We receive books from many different sources. Our current stock includes a large number of foreign language books donated by the Dutch prison system and some immigration centres that were restructuring. Many books come direct from publishers - frequently these are foreign language reading copies or slightly damaged books.
The travel company NEXUS is now giving us books that have been left on busses and trains and not claimed.
Other books come from individuals who are clearing their bookshelves. If you wish to donate books to us, please drop us an email or give us a ring. We´ll do our best to arrange collection if you are not able to pay us a visit. If you are too far away for us to collect, we will suggest another book project closer to where you are.

Recipients:
We have been giving free books to organizations in the North-East since 2006. Recipients include Womens Aid, Shelter, Barnardo´s, the Comfrey Project, St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army,N-E Refugee Council, Common Ground, The Hope Foundation, Open Door, Cyrenians, Panah, Haven, St Chads, Pakistan Cultural Society, YMCA, West End Refugee Service, Crisis Skylight, ACANE, Stockton Multi-Lingual Service, Whitehouse Lane Youth Club, Wrekenton Community Centre and the Durham Prison Service.
Sadly some of these organisations no longer exist, but new ones have taken their place in most cases.

Amina Marix Evans is the contact person and Founder of Borderline Books, the main project of the Kittiwake Trust, a community voluntary organisation.

We invite others to rip off our logo and do the same thing – providing that the books remain FREE OF CHARGE. We have a 'Recipe for a BookSpace' and a set of guidelines that we will be happy to share with anyone thinking of starting a BookSpace themselves.