A small public library in Sullivan County is helping bring books to readers thousands of miles away — with staff and volunteers willing to get behind the wheel to make it happen.

The Fallsburg Library in South Fallsburg is preparing to deliver more than 3,000 donated books to Books for Africa, a nonprofit that collects and distributes reading materials to communities across the continent.

Library Manager Laurie Burke-Deutsch says the project began after the library received a large donation of classroom book sets from a local school district. After keeping one copy of each title for its own collection, Burke-Deutsch looked for another home for the remaining books.

“I literally called across the country and around the world,” she said, but many organizations either couldn’t accept the books or wanted new materials. Books for Africa welcomed the donation.

The Fallsburg Library has since expanded its effort, collecting excess books from its own shelves and inviting school districts to contribute materials that are no longer in circulation.

Donated materials are collected and delivered to the organization’s facility in Marietta, Georgia, where they’re sorted and shipped to Africa.

Getting the books to Georgia is a hands-on undertaking. For the first delivery, Burke-Deutsch said, Library Clerks Drew Maier and Shivani Patel rented a box truck and drove the shipment from Sullivan County to Marietta — a journey of roughly 930 miles.

They’re preparing to do it again. Burke-Deutsch said the library has more than 200 boxes ready for its next delivery, scheduled for later this month, containing more than 3,000 books.

For Burke-Deutsch, the effort offers local residents a way to connect with people beyond their own community while encouraging service and curiosity about the wider world.

“Our patrons have told us that we can do anything,” she said. “It just expands everybody’s horizons and expands that sense of community beyond just here.”

The library welcomes additional donations, including children’s books, coloring books and adult titles such as mysteries. Books should be in good condition; completed workbooks and books about American history are not accepted.

People interested in donating should call the Fallsburg Library at 845-436-6067 to make an appointment.