November 19, 1996

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

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"Building a Nation of Readers" Is New Library of Congress National Reading Promotion Theme

To remind Americans of the importance of reading to individuals and to the nation, the Center for the Book has chosen "Building a Nation of Readers" as the Library's national reading promotion theme for the years 1997-2000.

"Today we often forget how important reading is to individual development and to democracy itself," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "This campaign theme is both a reminder and a goal for where we want to be in the year 2000. It continues the work of hundreds of national, state, and community coalitions formed in previous Center for the Book reading promotion campaigns and complements the Library of Congress's plans to celebrate its own bicentenary in the year 2000. We invite schools, libraries, educational, civic, and government organizations, corporations, professional associations, labor unions, and others to join us in building a nation of readers by organizing and supporting reading promotion projects that benefit all age groups."

Suggestions about how individuals and organizations can take part in the "Building a Nation of Readers" campaign will be available on the Center for the Book's World Wide Web site (http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook) in January 1997. Printed promotional materials are being prepared and will be available in Spring of 1997. To reserve copies, write the Center for the Book, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20540-4920.

The Center for the Book was established by law in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. Its projects and those of its 32 affiliated state centers for the book are funded primarily by private contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations or by funds from other government agencies. Previous national reading promotion campaigns include "The Year of the Young Reader" (1989), "The Year of the Lifetime Reader" (1991), "Books Change Lives" (1993-94), and "Shape Your Future--READ!" (1995-96).

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PR 96-169
11/19/96
ISSN 0731-3527