As a librarian with the Portland Public School District, Ann Easterly recognized the difference a good book could make in the life of a child.

She also knew that when new editions of books came into the library, the old ones were discarded, even though they were often still in good shape.

"It seemed a shame when books in good condition got tossed out," said Easterly, who now lives in Corvallis.

When Easterly retired, she didn't give up her dedication to children and reading. In 2001, Easterly established African Children's Libraries, an organization that has since founded 11 school libraries in several African countries, including Liberia, Nigeria and Monrovia.

In 1965-66, Easterly was a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia. She returned in 1976, but the Liberian civil war prevented her from another trip until 2004. Her time in Africa and her love for the continent inspired her literacy project.

"I knew the need," she said.

A combination of donations from individuals and from her former school district allowed Easterly to send the first shipment of 17 boxes of books to Nigeria in 2001. Since then, she's conducted library training and provided aid toward building libraries in several African countries, and Monday she sent her fourth shipment of books, about 96 boxes or around 4,000 books, to Monrovia.

Four schools have built new library buildings after African Children's Libraries got involved with their children. Other schools have turned classrooms into libraries to house donated books.

Easterly has conducted several training sessions to help educators learn to organize and administer their new libraries, and will return to Africa in February to spend two months in Liberia. She hopes during that time she'll get to tour some of the libraries that are the fruits of her labor.

Liberia has changed dramatically since she first served there in the Peace Corps. When she got off the plane in 2004, almost 25 years since her last visit, she was greeted by the sight of a big, white United Nations tank at the airport, evidence of the UN peacekeepers installed in the country following a prolonged civil war.

"There are a lot more people unemployed," she said, and in the northern part of the country, gutted buildings and shell casings serve as evidence of the recent conflict.

"But the desire for education has remained pretty much the same," she said.

In the village where she once served, despite troop occupation, the church and the school still functioned during the war.

In the future, Easterly is hoping to establish connections between Corvallis-area schools and libraries in Africa, so that students and community members can directly donate books to each library. For now, monetary donations are needed to help with port costs, and with transporting the books.

Easterly also suggested several other ways to help, including sponsoring an African movie night for friends and family asking for tax-deductible donations for the book distribution costs, to collect books for resale and donate the proceeds to the organization, or working with a club or class to raise funds or collect more books.

Theresa Hogue is features reporter for the Gazette-Times. She can be reached by e-mail at theresa.hogue@lee.net or by phone at 758-9526.