February 2, 1998

Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189

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Center For The Book To Administer and Promote Viburnum Family Literacy Project

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress has received a three-year grant from the Viburnum Foundation to administer its rural, library-based family literacy program in several states. Center for the book consultant Virginia H. Mathews, nationally known literacy and library advocate, is project coordinator.

"This project, coming on the heels of the successful completion of our five-year Library-Head Start-Museum partnership project, continues the center's longtime interest in family literacy and in encouraging collaboration among libraries and other community organizations that serve children, youth, and families," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "We look forward to assisting in planning, training, and promotion of the project, particularly in the states where our affiliated state centers can provide support and resources."

Sixteen rural libraries in five states currently receive $3,000 grants directly from the Viburnum Foundation as part of the project. Since 1992, the foundation has made 59 such grants. In addition to strengthening the project in the states already participating -- Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas -- the Center for the book hopes to extend the project to other states with large rural populations.

The Viburnum Family Literary Project is fully described in a recently published 60-page report, From Thibodaux to Tucumcari: Family Literacy in Rural Libraries: A Report from the Viburnum Family Literacy Project, by Molly Turner and Nancy Kober. Free copies are available from the Center for the Book, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20540-4920, tel. (202) 707-5221, fax (202) 707-0269. The report presents details about how, with limited resources, committed staff in small libraries can successfully respond to the needs of parents and other care givers for family literacy programs.

The Center for the Book was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. For information about its activities, visit its site on the World Wide Web at: http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/.

 

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PR 98-017
2/02/98
ISSN 0731-3527