Message regarding changes in the flow of literature

17 May 2023 / 1 Grandeur 180

All Local Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Over the past two decades, there has been a remarkable rise in the capacity to teach the Cause of God, drawing larger and larger numbers of individuals and families into contact with the Word of God, raising participation in core activities and developing capabilities to teach and build vibrant communities in which the material and spiritual are joined. An implication of this rising capacity is the need to ensure the flow of literature in a timely manner. This is particularly so for institute materials that are so vital to the work of teaching and community building. Following a series of consultations exploring the needs for literature, the National Spiritual Assembly has made several decisions to help strengthen its flow.

Given the importance of institute material to the work of expansion and consolidation, the National Assembly has decided to wholly subsidize the cost of institute material effective immediately, providing access to all published and pre-published educational materials free of charge within Canada. Naturally, those who wish to pay for the materials are welcome to do so. It is the hope of the National Assembly that this action will simplify access to this content.

The National Assembly has also decided to adopt a decentralized order fulfillment system to strengthen the flow of institute materials in each region of the country in a manner that is responsive to the requirements of growth. This new system, which includes a new online portal to order materials, will be administered by the institute board in each region with support from the Bahá’í Distribution Service and we will be in touch with further information as the system is launched. For the time being, there is no change to the way you currently order institute materials.

Finally, while the above decisions concern the distribution of institute materials, work is also underway to modernize the web presence of the Bahá’í Distribution Service and to simplify its ordering and fulfillment process.  An aim is to provide a modern website with information on a wide selection of enrichment literature in both print and digital formats, with direct e-commerce and inventory tracking capability.  It is our hope that this work will be completed in the coming year. To guide these changes and follow the related process of learning about facilitating the flow of literature, the National Assembly has just appointed a Publication and Distribution Board. They are gradually assuming their responsibilities, and may be reached at publication-distribution@bahai.ca.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF CANADA
Karen McKye, Secretary