May 23, 1993

Contact: Helen Dalrymple (202) 707-1940
Jill Brett (202) 707-2905

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Report on the "Year of the Lifetime Reader" Issued by the Library of Congress

Developing Lifetime Readers: A Report on the 1991 "Year of the Lifetime Reader" Promotion of the Library of Congress has just been published. The illustrated, 44-page booklet describes how the Center for the Book's "Year of the Lifetime Reader" project developed and the initiatives undertaken by schools, libraries, bookstores, and other organizations around the country. It was compiled by Michael Thompson to share the ideas that made "Year of the Lifetime Reader" so effective in promoting reading and to stimulate thinking on how to make future campaigns even more effective.

In his preface, Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole outlines the history of the center's reading promotion campaigns, which began in 1987 with the "Year of the Reader," and are continuing in 1993-94 with "Books Change Lives." The photographs in the report include "Great Grandmother Reads to Me," by Connie Thompson of Pollok, Texas, the grand prize winner in the "To Be a Lifetime Reader" photo contest, and those of 12 other national winners in the black-and-white category. The 109 national civic and educational organizations that served as reading promotion partners of the Library of Congress in the campaign are listed in an appendix.

Copies of Developing Lifetime Readers are being distributed to the Center for the Book's 28 affiliated state centers and to its national reading promotion partners, which now number 124. Single copies are available at no cost to libraries and other organizations. Requests should be sent to the Center for the Book, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540-8200.

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PR 93-079
6/2/93
ISSN 0731-3527