First Book Launches Major Upgrade to Get More New Books to Kids in Need

Updated 'Marketplace' Website Launches Today; Nonprofits and Title I Schools Will Have Better Access to New Books

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, First Book, a nonprofit that provides new books to kids in need, launched a major upgrade to the award-winning First Book Marketplace. With these changes, educators and program leaders who work with children from low-income families will be able to get new, high-quality books for the children they serve, faster and easier.

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"There are tens of millions of children in this country who don't have even the basic resources they need to learn and thrive," said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. "By providing them with new, high-quality books, we're helping to turn them into readers; something absolutely critical to their success."

In the New York Times in May, David Bornstein wrote: "The First Book Marketplace is trying to do for publishing what micro-finance did for banking: crack open a vast potential market that is underserved at significant social cost."

There are over 27,000 schools and programs signed up with First Book, serving kids from birth to age 18, all of which have access to the Marketplace. All of them are eligible to purchase books and educational materials from the Marketplace at prices up to 90% lower than retail stores.  

Of the 8 million books First Book distributed last year, 3 million were distributed through the Marketplace to schools and community programs across the country.

The upgrades include a new interface, streamlined user accounts, improved search features and a host of new books to choose from (over 2,000 titles and counting). Many of the new changes were a direct result of the feedback First Book has received from teachers and program leaders in the past few years.

About First Book
First Book has distributed more than 85 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada.  By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and the elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit us online or follow our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE First Book