Alibris Teams Up With "Renovate My Family" Show to Help Needy Family  8/9/05

Alibris Joins FOX to Outfit a Home-School with Books

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Alibris, the premiere destination for used, new, and out-of-print books, has teamed up with FOX's Renovate My Family to help one struggling family in Watts, California, to fill their home-school shelves with much-needed books.

Alibris donated more than ten cartons of gently used books to the Brooks family, who devote almost all of their resources to providing their six children with a combination of private and homeschool education. The episode of Renovate My Family, which featured the dramatic transformation of the Brooks home and library, aired Monday, August 8, on FOX.

Alibris has invited its customers and inspired FOX viewers to participate by visiting the Brooks Family Wishlist on the Alibris Web site at www.alibris.com, where they can purchase and send additional books to the family.

"We want to reward this family for the sacrifices they've made to ensure a quality education for their children," said Alibris CEO Martin Manley. "Our staff was moved by the fact that they had a hard time affording textbooks."

"We also saw donating to their small classroom as a way to spread the word that used books can help to make education more affordable," Manley continued.

Textbook prices are an increasing demand on the budgets of parents and students at every education level. Homefires: The Journal of Homeschooling Online estimates annual average textbook expenses for the United States' nearly two million homeschool classrooms at $400 or more per classroom. And the National Association of College Stores puts a college student's annual outlay for classroom books at $770.

Parents and students can search Alibris by textbook title, author name, or ISBN to save as much as 90% off of new book prices. With the availability of such remarkable bargains, seasonal textbook purchases have spiked at Alibris. The top-ten Internet bookseller's used textbook sales have rivaled lucrative holiday sales for the last three years.

About Alibris

Alibris connects people who love books, music, and movies to thousands of independent sellers from around the world. One of Internet Retailer's "Top 100" largest online retailers, Alibris is the choice of millions of book lovers each month. We employ proprietary technology and advanced logistics to offer more than 50 million used, new, and out-of-print books from more than 10,000 sellers to consumers, libraries, and retailers. Founded in 1998 and based in Emeryville, California, Alibris is a rapidly growing business with strategic partnerships with the best and largest players in the bookselling industry.

SOURCE Alibris

-0- 08/09/2005