By Associated Press
Jacksonville, AL – A Jacksonville State University professor is suspending a program that shipped more than 55-thousand books and journals to universities in Iraq.
Safaa Al-Hamdani, the organizer of Books to Baghdad, said the program was so successful that other universities in Iraq started asking for books, and he felt he was no longer able to meet the demand. Also, his main source of books -- universities in Alabama -- appear to be tapped out.
Since 2005, the project has sent four shipments to universities in Iraq, primarily in Baghdad. A humanitarian agency, International Relief and Development, has paid for the shipments, but Al-Hamdani and other volunteers have paid other expenses associated with the project out of their own pockets. In Iraq, Al-Hamdani's sister and her husband have helped distribute the books.
If a source of funds were available to pay for collecting, cataloging and packing the books, Al-Hamdani said, he might consider restarting the project. But it needs to collect at least 12-thousand textbooks before they can be shipped.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)