Your January BincLinc

As wonderful as old books can be, they can also create a physical challenge to those who work with these treasures. Such was the situation faced recently by a bookstore owner who had been living with a slow-building medical emergency that was threatening to become a chronic condition. A trip to the doctor and a chest x-ray concluded that they were suffering from a respiratory infection. Medications and a follow-up x-ray were prescribed to prevent the bookseller’s condition from escalating into pneumonia. Unfortunately, the original doctor visit and x-ray had tapped out this uninsured bookseller’s funds. Luckily, they had heard about Binc and knew they could call for help.

Binc was able to steer the bookseller to GoodRx where the price of the medications was reduced from more than $600 to less than $200. After Binc covered the needed medications and the cost of a follow-up x-ray, the bookseller is on the mend and continues to run one of the few remaining independent bookstores in their city.

The bookseller wrote to us saying: “Binc provided critical information and potentially-life-saving monetary assistance. How does one thank someone for that? I will keep my bookstore running strong, put my renewed strength into growing its reach, bringing books, ideas, words of insight and imagination to more and more people. That's how I will try to express my profound gratitude. Thank you so very much for the support. I'll do my best to pass this goodness along.”

Thank You,
The Binc Board of Directors and Staff

If you'd like to help booksellers facing life's emergencies donate today.

In This Issue

Donor Spotlight 💡
Winter Institute
Apply Today for a Scholarship to the Denver Publishing Institute
Changes to the Board of Directors
New Office Coordinator — Welcome, Mary Baker!
What We're Reading at Binc

Donor Spotlight 💡

Thank You To All Who Gave in Honor of Wanda Jewell's 30 Years of Service to the Book Industry!

You raised $4200 for booksellers!

Winter Institute

We had a lovely time at Winter Institute. It's always one of our favorite events of the year. This year was extra special because we had the opportunity to honor outgoing SIBA Executive Director, Wanda Jewell. And Garth Stein joined 68 Binc supporters to hear how their advocacy and donations make a difference every day to booksellers.

Pictured: Binc Board President Matthew Gildea, Executive Director Pam French, and Author Leadership Circle Campaign Chair Garth Stein

Apply Today for a Scholarship to the Denver Publishing Institute

Binc, in collaboration with Sourcebooks and the Denver Publishing Institute, is now accepting applications for a scholarship to attend the Denver Publishing Insitute.

This is a great opportunity for booksellers interested in expanding their understanding of the entire book ecosystem. Applications for the scholarship to attend the Denver Publishing Institute in Denver, CO will be accepted through February 26th, 2020.

This scholarship includes tuition, housing and meal plan, and up to $2000 to cover travel and lost wages.

Apply Today

Find Out More

Now Accepting Applications for Higher Education Scholarships

The Binc Scholarship Program is now accepting applications. Scholarships are offered for full- or part-time study at an accredited institution of the student’s choice. We are accepting applications through March 11th.

Karl Pohrt Tribute Award

This higher education scholarship is for a current bookseller or owner in the U.S. who is a non-traditional student or who has overcome learning adversity. There will be one (1) award of $5000 granted.

Binc Scholarship Program for the Dependents of Booksellers

The Binc Scholarship Program seeks to make a lasting impact in bookstore employees’ lives and former Borders Group employees’ lives by offering scholarships to their dependents and spouses/partners based on financial need, academic performance, and community involvement – helping to make a college education more affordable for booksellers’ families. There will be seven (7) awards each for $3500 granted.

Apply Today

Changes to the Board of Directors

Binc welcomes ABA board member Chris Morrow as the newest member of the Binc Board of Directors. Morrow runs the Northshire Bookstores in Manchester Center, Vermont, and Saratoga Springs, New York. He received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and an M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand and a trainer of Peace Corps volunteers in Nepal. Chris has been involved in bookselling full time since 1998.

The executive committee roles have changed for 2020. Matthew Gildea of Arcadia Publishing is now the Board President. Annie Philbrick of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookshop and Café will fulfill the role of Vice President. Christie Roehl of Duluth Trading Company is Treasurer. And Julia Cowlishaw of Vroman’s is Secretary. The executive committee represents decades upon decades of bookselling, publishing, and industry experience and will thoughtfully and expertly guide the Foundation into the new decade.

New Office Coordinator — Welcome, Mary Baker!

Mary Baker joined the team at Binc at the end of 2019. She spent the majority of her career in management consulting with her last consulting role as a Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting in their Supply Chain practice. Mary was a founding member and board member of the Boxing Autism Club, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals and families impacted by autism in Livingston County, Michigan. Mary’s heart for mission work and helping others, combined with her love of reading, make her a perfect fit for our work at Binc. Mary spent most of her adult life in Naperville, Illinois and fondly remembers taking her sons to Anderson’s Bookshop to share her love of reading and the community fostered by independent bookshops.

What We're Reading at Binc

Erosion: Essays of Undoing
by Terry Tempest Williams
Sarah Crichton Books

From the publisher:
Fierce, timely, and unsettling essays from an important and beloved writer and conservationist

Terry Tempest Williams’s fierce, spirited, and magnificent essays are a howl in the desert. She sizes up the continuing assaults on America's public lands and the erosion of our commitment to the open space of democracy. She asks: “How do we find the strength to not look away from all that is breaking our hearts?”

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the bookselling community through charitable programs that support employees and their families. The Foundation was imagined and built by booksellers and proudly continues to be their safety net. It is our vision to be a caring community of book people.