Help Build our Collection

Below are suggested ways to directly help the library's book, CD and video collection.

Church collecting – many church groups have joined to collectively gather and ship books to our library. This method usually works better with a smaller group of people who all feel personally involved in the effort, rather than an impersonal appeal to a large congregation. Also, we would ask groups collecting in this way to spend time perusing the details of the types of books we need. As we are growing, our collection is improving in currency and condition. Torn old books from decades ago hauled down from attics do not help us, but many families have large collections of books they rarely read but would greatly assist our service. As many people also make the switch to DVD, video cassettes that would enhance our library acquire dust on the shelves. Christian music CDs, as well as classical or other good quality music, are also valued by the library and easy to collect for most people.

Amazon wish list – The UEC maintains a “wish list” on Amazon.com for specific titles it currently desires. Purchasing one of these books is a certain way to buy a book we need.

Ship or bring books – people who volunteer to be “depots” where books are sent and then agree to ship them via M-bag to Kyiv are greatly appreciated. M-bags are the best way to ship books to Kyiv (click here for exact details about shipping books to Kyiv), cost about $1/pound, and arrive in three to four months. Alternatively, we also have people regularly visiting Kyiv and the UEC, and many of these visitors aid the library by hauling heavy suitcases of books and videos.

Ideas for collecting from other sources:

1. Universities – some universities give away or sell old textbooks, a welcome addition to any library. Many times they seek non-profit organizations and charities to which to donate them; we just need someone to ask for us. A graduate student at Syracuse bought a pile of useful textbooks for $1 each and shipped them to us during the Fall of 2003.
2. Libraries – Like universities, many libraries have vast collections of books they no longer need. Some are also willing to give these books away, especially to non-profit organizations such as the UEC. Simple inquiries can lead to great returns for the Kyiv community.
3. Books sales/fairs – Obviously, used book stores, discount sales, and books fairs are excellent places to get good quality, current books.

When collecting books or CDs, please conult our detailed list of desired items as well as our online catalog WebLamp to see if we already have an item.

Financial Donation

Below are the library's financial needs.

Money earmarked for books – We also seek to continually enhance our Russian and Ukrainian theological library, as well as other insufficiencies we see in our library, and we need funds to satisfy these needs. Donating money specially for the purchase of books helps us accomplish this task.

Donate money for a computer – Our computer center always resounds with multiple people typing and the computers are often signed up for days or weeks in advance by patrons. In the past, donors have desired to enhance this aspect of our library and donated money for the expressed purpose of purchasing a computer. Because of currency and other difficulties, actual donations of computers to the library is not practical, unless they are laptops.

Donate money for the salaries of staff workers and monthly operations – Although we constantly seek to improve and build our library, we also operate a hectic daily schedule, with hundreds of visits a day by patrons. Donations to help pay the salaries of our student workers, most of whom work in order to live while they attend school, help us meet our operational needs. Also, these fund can buy library supplies, pay phone bills, and account for the regular expenses incurred by any normal business.

Donations to the UEC can be sent to this address, or online donations can be made by clicking this link. If you wish to specifically earmark your donation, indicate so in writing or on the submission form.

Ukrainian Education Center 4301 Hillsboro Road, Suite 300 Nashville, TN 37215

Spread the word about our
non-profit library

There are countless resources of money, books, and other things solely designated for the assistance of non-profit or educational institutions. The UEC runs on an extremely small budget, typically donated from a small community. However, as our patron base and collection expand, we would also like to expand this base of support. Any way you can spread the word about our operation and mission or notify us of potential support would be a great help to our library and the UEC as a whole.