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History
The International Book Project was founded in 1966 by Mrs. Harriet Van Meter. As an example of the ripple effect that can be made by one person, IBP has a unique history of having supplied millions of books worldwide since its beginnings in the basement of Mrs. Van Meter's home. IBP has grown to offer sea container shipments of over 20,000 books to large institutions, yet it still retains its tradition of person-to-person diplomacy by sending individually crafted mail bags of a few dozen books to smaller schools, orphanages, and libraries. We distribute books for institutional use to virtually any location in the world that has access to mail. Many of the requests we receive are funded by donors who, by sending an initial mail bag of books, initiate a lifelong inter-cultural dialogue. The resulting global friendship that grows between donors and institutions has been the centerpiece of the International Book Project's mission since its inception. In this way, IBP has made a unique contribution to providing the building blocks of future international stability.

Our founder, Mrs. Van Meter, received numerous awards during her lifetime. She was one of eight finalists for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and was subsequently awarded the Kiwanis International World Service Medal in 1989. In 1992 the International Book Project was one of twenty organizations chosen as a Partner for Peace for the services it provides to Peace Corps programming.

World Literacy Facts

• According to UNESCO, one billion people in the world are illiterate.
• 125 million young children are denied the chance to go to school throughout the developing world today.
• Approximately one in four adults in the developing world is illiterate. Women make up the majority of this population.

Our Founder: Mrs. Harriet Van Meter
"Books open doors to decent jobs, to self-improvement, to creativity, to deeper faith and a wider understanding to our cultural heritage. Parents in poor countries understand the tremendous advantages that education brings and are willing to make great personal sacrifices in order to educate their children...but they need books." - Harriet Van Meter

Born in 1910, Mrs. Harriet Van Meter had already accomplished a lifetime's work of social benefit to her community before she founded the International Book Project in 1966. As part of her outreach to provide services for incoming international students, she was given the opportunity to visit their home countries. While in India, Mrs. Van Meter witnessed long lines of people waiting, not for bread, but for the chance to read a book.

Moved by her experiences, she returned to Kentucky to start her own person-to-person literacy project in the basement of her Lexington home. Her initial ad in an Indian newspaper received over four hundred replies and grew exponentially. While retaining its unique interactive focus, the International Book Project continued to expand from a local to a national effort, and in 1983 it moved to the warehouse which serves as its headquarters today.

Mrs. Van Meter was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for her efforts to increase world literacy and placed among the eight final nominees. She also received national recognition, including the 1989 Kiwanis World Service Medal, as well as many regional service awards. In 1992, the International Book Project was chosen as one of twenty (out of 400 organizations) to be recognized as a "Partner for Peace" by President George Bush and former Peace Corps Director Elaine Chao for its support of the U.S. Peace Corps Program. After her death in 1997, Mrs. Van Meter was honored by admission to the permenant "Kentucky Women Remembered" Exhibit.

Financials

98% of all contributions made to the International Book Project support our mission of sending books. Review our IRS 990 form to learn more about our organization’s finances. Please consider making a monetary donation to the International Book Project today!

IRS 990

2006 IRS 990
2007 IRS 990

Audited Financial Statements

2006 Audited Financial Statements
2007 Audited Financial Statements

Annual Reports

2006 Annual Report
2007 Annual Report