U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., drops off two boxes of books at Water Valley High School, in Water Valley, Miss., on Monday, August 21, 2017.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today launched his third annual book donation program for Mississippi libraries. The donated books come from the Library of Congress (LOC) Surplus Book program and Wicker’s personal collection.

“This program has been a success the past two years,” Wicker said. “Last year, my office delivered over 1,000 books to Mississippi’s libraries. These materials are put to much better use in our communities, and I hope to collect many more for our libraries this year.”

Wicker hopes to promote literacy and bring attention to the availability of books through the Library of Congress Surplus Books Program.

The LOC receives more than 20,000 items per day, with only half of this material retained for the LOC’s permanent collection.  Excess books are available to educational institutions, nonprofit tax-exempt organizations, or state and local public agencies.  The collection includes paper, hardback, and large print books, audio and video recordings, and maps.  These items cover subjects such as the humanities, history, social sciences, education, and science.