The Botswana Book Project was formed in 1998 by Pam Shelton to answer the immediate library needs of northern Botswana. Since then it has served as a catalyst for literacy and library development throughout the country. BBP has brought in over 450,000 books for the schools of Botswana.

In 2007, Pam Shelton was awarded the James Patterson PageTurner Par Excellence Award for her work in promoting reading.

In March 2010, MORE magazine did a feature article about
Pam called "The Book Farmer of Botswana"