FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
May 9, 2006
Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Institute
of Museum and Library Services Partners with National
Endowment for the Arts to Create Largest Book Club Ever
The Big Read encourages
America’s cities and towns to participate, apply
for grants, in effort to reverse dramatic decline in literary
reading
New York, NY—Dr.
Anne-Imelda M. Radice, the recently appointed director
of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services,
announced
from Carnegie Hall in New York City today that the agency
will partner with the National Endowment for the Arts
on the Big Read. The Big Read is a new national reading
program designed to revitalize the role of reading in
America. The Institute is the primary source of federal
funds and leadership to the nation’s 122,000 libraries
and 17,500 museums.
“Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary
Reading in America” a 2004 National Arts Endowment
report, documented a dramatic decline in literary reading
– among all age groups, ethnic groups, and education
levels – and galvanized a national discussion. The
Big Read was developed to help reverse this trend by giving
citizens in more than 100 communities in all 50 states
an inviting opportunity to read and discuss great books.
Each city or town that participates will host a community-wide
read that involves collaborations with libraries, schools,
local government, and the private sector.
The Institute will contribute $1 million
in the first year of the national program and cast America’s
libraries and librarians in a central role to encourage
community participation. “We are delighted to be
a partner in The Big Read,” noted Dr. Anne-Imelda
M. Radice, Director of the federal Institute of Museum
and Library Services. “Libraries are ‘information
central’ in communities everywhere. Encouraging
library participation will assure that The Big Read has
big impact in cities and towns across the United States.”
“We are so pleased to have the Institute
of Museum and Library Services as a partner,” said
Dana Gioia,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “They
bring expertise and a capacity that will not only make
the Big Read bigger but better.”
The Big Read will be administered by Arts
Midwest, a regional arts agency based in Minneapolis,
MN. The partners invite cities and communities nationwide
to participate in 2007. The Big Read will award grants
generally ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 to more than
100 communities to conduct programs that encourage reading
for pleasure and enlightenment. To find out how your organization
can submit a proposal to join the Big Read, please visit:
www.neabigread.org.
The deadline for the Requests for Proposals is September
12, 2006.
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