Students can participate in the program, which is run out of the Cadigan Center for Religious Life, by placing un-needed books in the boxes that will be kept in the laundry rooms of every dormitory. According to Masor, each dorm will have a box for the program by the start of finals week. Jennifer So '06 is the student contact for the initiative.
Masor started the program because of the insufficient number of textbooks available for students in schools where the school library cannot afford new resources. He works to collect school books from students around the country and then donates the books to the libraries of these impoverished schools.
Many colleges are struggling to accumulate books, according to Masor. "The Tohono O'odham College in Arizona only has 3,000 volumes," he said. "Our goal is to build up the collections of libraries like this."
Masor explained that the program accepts books for all reading levels, ranging from pre-kindergarten through college. The schools that receive donated books are selected based on need.
Many of the colleges that receive books through Reader to Reader have student bodies comprised primarily of Native-American and African-American students. Several state schools also benefit from the program.
Masor hopes that the Reader to Reader Program will provide students with books they would not otherwise have been able to read. "They cannot afford to purchase the books themselves so they rely on the library to have them," he said.