Press contact: Guy Lamolinara (202) 707-9217
Public contact: Center for the Book (202) 707-5221

January 10, 2001

"Telling America's Stories" is New Library of Congress Reading Promotion Theme

"Telling America's Stories" is the Library's new national reading promotion theme for 2001-2003, sponsored jointly by the Center for the Book and the American Folklife Center.

"Stories connect people to the world of books and reading," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "We invite schools, libraries, museums, historical societies, families, and individuals to join the campaign. We also will enlist our affiliated centers in 41 states and the District of Columbia."

"Telling America's Stories" takes advantage of existing Center for the Book projects, the "Local Legacies" project that documented the nation's cultural traditions during the Library's Bicentennial year in 2000, and "America's Library," the Library's new Web site for children and families.

"The American Folklife Center is delighted to be part of the reading promotion campaign," said American Folklife Center Director Peggy Bulger. "In addition to complementing the congressionally sponsored Local Legacies project, it fits nicely with our American war veterans oral history project and our plans to strengthen the center's storytelling collections."

"America's Library," the Library's popular new Web site at www.americaslibrary.gov, was designed to stimulate interest in American history among families and young people. It presents lively stories from America's past using unique items from the Library's collections - letters, diaries, prints and photographs, film, sound recordings, sheet music, and maps. It recently received the 2000 New Media Invision Bronze Award for B est Education Site for Kids and the Standard of Excellence Web Award.

"Telling America's Stories" is the seventh national reading promotion campaign organized by the Center for the Book since 1987. Previous themes have included "The Year of the Young Reader" (1989), "Books Change Lives" (1993-1994), and "Building a Nation of Readers" (1997-2000).

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. For information about its programs, publications, and the activities of its affiliated centers, or help with projects and promotion ideas using the "Telling America's Stories" theme, contact the Center for the Book, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20540-4920; telephone (202) 707-5221; fax (202) 707-0269; e-mail: cfbook@loc.gov or visit its Web site at www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook.

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PR 01-005
01/10/01
ISSN 0731-3527

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