Communities Thrive @ Your Library

National Library Week

This week I am in the WH district only on Friday, April 16th. I will meet with 3-Bruns and we will watch a video of David Wiesner's "June 29, 1999." This is an installment of the Reading Rainbow series with LaVar Burton. Other books reviewed are "Time Train" by Paul Fleischman, "Growing Vegetable Soup" by Lois Ehlert, and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett.

Next week I will meet with K-Geelan and 2-Glawe on Tuesday, April 20th, and 3-Zuehl on Thursday, April 22nd.


National Library Week will be observed April 11-17, 2010 with the theme, "Communities thrive @ your library®."

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

History

In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee's goals were ambitious. They ranged from "encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time" to "improving incomes and health" and "developing strong and happy family life."

In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. With the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme "Wake Up and Read!"

National Library Week was observed again in 1959, and the ALA Council voted to continue the annual celebration. When the National Book Committee disbanded in 1974, ALA assumed full sponsorship.

National Library Week is observed each year in April, generally the second full week.
For more information use The Campaign for America's Libraries' Web site at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary.


Thanks for supporting your school's libraries!
Mrs. T. Reiter, K-12 Teacher-Librarian