I recently mused on the importance of literacy, and asked for input and insights from the Twitter booklovers community on organizations promoting literacy. With that valuable feedback, I committed to expressing my gratitude for my own literacy and this community by aiming to make a donation to a literacy organization once my own Twitter presence arrived at and exceeded 1,000 followers. That has happened (woo hoo and thanks!), and I’ve made my donation, as follows:

The Children’s Book Bank is a charitable organization designed to support children’s literacy by providing free books and literacy support to children in lower income neighbourhoods. Based in Toronto, the organization offers a range of gently used and new books secured through donation, school and community book drives. Staffed by volunteers and working within the community, The Children’s Book Bank focuses on the literacy needs of children aged 2-12 and works to support and develop each child’s interest in and success with reading. In addition to providing books, The Children’s Book Bank offers literacy support and programming. Learn more at www.childrensbookbank.com.

Much more important than numbers of followers or Klout scores or whatever is that we are in this social milieu reading and writing and talking … about books and literature and print and digital formats and bookstores and libraries and the vital reading experience in all its forms. I value those who follow me, those that I follow and those that I come across in this vibrant tweeting, retweeting, chattering, enthusiastic and engaged environment … not the number of them, but the quality of the discourse and the spirit, dealing with vital and fundamental issues, not to mention delights.

Numbers are just numbers. But then again, we can use those numbers in creative ways to challenge ourselves to remember, to recognize, to give back. Through this exercise, I’ve learned about other organizations and institutions supporting literacy and books that I’d like to recognize in future, so I’m going to set a goal to do just that whenever I hit one of those “number” milestones. I challenge other book tweeters and bloggers to do the same.