Contact:  Larra Clark
Press Officer
312-280-5043
lclark@ala.org

For Immediate Release
March 30, 2004 

Communities celebrate National Library Week, April 18-24,
as public library visits near 1.2 billion

CHICAGO - While communities across the country plan their annual celebration of National Library Week (April 18-24), public library visits have reached an all-time high. In the past decade, visits have more than doubled to almost 1.2 billion, and a record-setting 1.79 billion items were borrowed from libraries in one year alone.

In addition, a recent public opinion poll found that two-thirds of all Americans believe having access to a community public library is very valuable.  According to "The Public Library: A National Survey," conducted by Marist College Institute for Public Opinion late last year, the top priorities for libraries are reading programs for children, open hours on evenings and weekends and computers for public use (http://midhudson.org/funding/advocacy/Marist_Poll_2003.ppt). 

Despite such widespread support for public libraries, an American Library Association (ALA) study shows that more than 40 states have experienced library funding cuts that undermine service hours and programs. Nationally, Americans spend less than the average cost of one hardcover book - about $25 a year - to support libraries.

"Libraries must have the resources to meet the increased needs of our users - from offering free Internet access to creating multilingual collections and programs," said ALA President Carla Hayden. "It's a challenging and exciting time to be a librarian. In order for libraries to continue to be places of opportunity for everyone everywhere, library staff must speak up and speak out on behalf of the millions of Americans who depend on our services."

Following is a brief list of some of the important activities taking place during National Library Week, April 18-24:

• At a time when election coverage is a daily occurrence, libraries across the country will participate in Register to Vote @ your library(r), an online voter registration effort.  The one institution whose sole function is to provide for the free exchange of information and ideas, libraries offer a civic space where the public can find voting information, speak freely, share similar interests and concerns and pursue what they believe is in their interest. http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/availablepiomat/smartvotingstarts.htm
  
  
• Dozens of libraries will mark the first annual National Library Workers Day on Tuesday, April 20.  Almost 395,000 people work in libraries across the country, providing a range of services from cataloging and shelving materials to organizing programs and events to updating the library's Web site.
  
  

• Librarians are at the forefront of the battle to amend the USA PATRIOT Act and are gathering a million signatures in support of legislation to amend Section 215, which undermines historical protections for reader privacy in libraries. ALA is joining with the American Booksellers Association, and the PEN American Center to gather signatures in bookstores, libraries and online (www.readerprivacy.org).
  
  

• Many schools will observe School Library Media Month throughout April with open houses and other events that highlight the contributions of school libraries and librarians.  Research shows that the highest achieving students attend schools with well-stocked and staffed school library media centers. http://www.ala.org/aaslTemplate.cfm?Section=studentachieve
  
  
• Fifteen community college and public libraries will team up with Women's Day magazine to host Put it in Writing @ your library(r).  These workshops for aspiring writers, which were sold out the past two years, promote the abundance of free creative materials that can spark a writer's imagination.  http://www.ala.org/ala/pr2004/prfeb2004/Putitinwriting.htm
  

National Library Week also is a great time to learn more about how libraries are preparing infants and preschoolers to read.  A recent national study shows that parents and caregivers of children under 5 years who took part in research-based public library early literacy programs significantly increased their literacy behaviors. The behaviors introduced through the program led to significant gains in children's reading readiness.  Reading programs for children was the number one priority for library services identified by the Marist College survey.  To learn more about early literacy and how parents and libraries can team for reading readiness, please visit http://www.ala.org/ala/pla/plaissues/earlylit/earlyliteracy.htm.

To schedule interviews with national spokespeople and learn more about these initiatives - as well as efforts underway to recruit the next generation of librarians, how libraries are preparing infants and preschoolers to read and how libraries help close the digital divide - please contact the ALA Public Information Office, Larra Clark at 312-280-5043, Macey Morales at 312-280-4393 or Kathy Mirkin at 312-280-5044.  Spanish-speaking spokespeople are available.

With more than 63,000 members worldwide, the ALA is the voice of America's libraries and the millions of people who depend on them. To learn more about National Library Week and the ALA, please visit www.ala.org/nlw2004