FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
September 18, 2007
IMLS Press
Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Public Libraries Urged to Register for Free Civics and
Citizenship Toolkit
Washington, DC—Public
libraries can register for a free Civics and Citizenship
Toolkit, which contains educational materials that will
help permanent residents learn more about the United States
and prepare for the naturalization process. The toolkit
is an initiative of the Task Force on New Americans, a
federal partnership that includes the Institute of Museum
and Library Services. Other members of the Task Force
of New Americans are the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS), the U.S. Post Office, and the Government
Printing Office. Public libraries can visit www.citizenshiptoolkit.gov
to register for a free copy of the toolkit.
“Public libraries have a long history
of helping immigrants settle in the United States and
learn about their new country,” said Anne-Imelda
M. Radice, Ph.D., IMLS Director. “The toolkit is
one more way that libraries can assist new immigrants
to fully understand and embrace American civic culture.”
Offered free to public libraries across
the U.S., the toolkit is designed as a self-study resource
for immigrants or an instruction tool for volunteers and
adult educators to use in a classroom setting. It includes
Welcome to the United States, a comprehensive guide for
new permanent residents; The Citizen’s Almanac,
a collection of America’s most cherished speeches,
poems, anthems and documents; and the Civics and Citizenship
Multimedia Presentation, a film series for immigrants.
The toolkit will be available for sale
to other organizations or individuals through the GPO
Bookstore http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/cis-toolkit.jsp
for $49.95. Contents of the toolkit may be purchased separately
as well.
|