| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2008
IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Institute of Museum and Library Services Sponsors the
Pavilion of the States at the 8th Annual National Book Festival
Washington, DC—Librarians from every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories will participate in the Pavilion of the States at the National Book Festival on Saturday, September 27. This is the seventh year the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has supported the Pavilion at the festival. The free festival is sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. The Pavilion of the States spotlights the work of librarians, libraries and state Centers for the Book.
This year, IMLS is distributing a free fan, which highlights ventures into collecting. The fan entitled, “What’s In Your Collection?” includes information on the Institute’s Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a national initiative to raise public awareness of the importance of caring for our treasures. Thanks to a donation by Scholastic, Inc., IMLS will also distribute 500 copies of a book called “Save it! A Kid’s Guide to Collecting and Conserving” by Francie Alexander, Scholastic’s Chief Academic Officer. The books will go to the first 500 children who collect stamps from each of the states.
The Library of Congress Preservation Directorate adds a special component to IMLS’s booth at the festival with tips for creating a family time capsule, an activity that's fun for children and parents, and a good introduction to basic preservation principles.
“We’re so pleased to be part of this fun event that spotlights reading and literacy. We also welcome the opportunity to share with visitors the importance of taking care of both private and public collections. This is about preserving our history for future generations,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, PhD, Director of IMLS.
The Pavilion of the States promotes reading and literacy projects as well as the literary traditions of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Representatives from state libraries throughout the nation provide information and answer questions about their state’s authors, libraries, book festivals, book awards, and reading-promotion activities.
The Pavilion of the States is an extremely popular place for families because each state is represented providing information about reading and related cultural activities in their state. Kids race around getting state stamps on their maps of America, which lists on the back “52 Great Reads about Great Places,” with recommendations from each state.
The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, rain or shine, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 3rd and 7th streets. The festival is free and open to the public.
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