For immediate release | March 7, 2013
Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio libraries win 2013 Bookapalooza Program
CHICAGO — The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) has awarded the 2013 Bookapalooza Program to three libraries: Pinson Public Library, Pinson, Ala.; Fletcher Public School, Fletcher, Okla.; and Ashland Public Library, Ashland, Ohio.
The award includes a variety of materials from books to DVDs and audiobooks. These materials have been received at the ALSC office from publishers for selection committees to evaluate for awards and notables consideration. To make room for the next year’s publications, Bookapalooza was created to infuse three collections with new materials for children age birth through age 14.
The Pinson Public Library in Alabama is a brand-new facility in a rural area that opened last year with 1,600 materials, a third of which were donated. With a small budget and high circulation, this library will put the 25 cartons of Bookapalooza materials to great use. By collaborating with the local schools’ annual reading contests, the Bookapalooza materials will encourage children to read and write book reviews for the school and library websites. The materials will also be used with another ongoing program with the Hand in Paw Organization, Reading with Rufus, where children will strengthen their verbal and reading skills by reading aloud to Rufus the dog.
An infusion of Bookapalooza materials will provide books, DVDs and audiobooks desperately needed by all students at the Fletcher Public School in Oklahoma to improve reading skills. New nonfiction and high-interest, low-level materials will motivate students and promote reading to assist in passing the state’s mandated reading tests. The Bookapalooza collection will also allow for new books to be shared during the Reading Buddies program and for book talks during the monthly Literacy Assembly.
The Ashland Public Library in Ohio will partner with the Ray and Joan Kroc Salvation Army Center to provide materials to patrons who don’t have access to the library. The Kroc Center houses numerous programs and services for the homeless and low-income families in the community, and will post information about the collection and library services at the Ashland Public Library. Teen volunteers will also be utilized to read to children and assist with the library’s summer reading program.
“All of the recipients demonstrate great need for materials for their readers and also future readers who may not have access to library materials or patronize a library which has no funding to acquire materials,” said Nancy Baumann, Grant Administration Committee chair. “The committee is ecstatic about all the Bookapalooza materials finding their way into the hands of children who need reading materials.
ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at www.ala.org/alsc.
Members of the 2013 ALSC Grant Administration Committee include: Nancy Baumann, chair, University of Missouri School of Information Science & Learning Technologies; Krista Britton, Prince William (Va.) Schools; Jonathan Hunt, Modesto (Calif.) City Schools; Julie Danielson, Smyrna, Tenn.; Ursula Jacobs-Guidry, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, N.C.; Amy Koester, St. Charles City-County Library District, Mo.; Deanna Mae Romriell, Salt Lake City (Utah) Public Library; Patty Saidenberg, New York, N.Y.; and Destinee Sutton, King County Library System, Burien (Wash.) Library.
Contact:
Caroline Jewell
Awards Coordinator
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
cjewell@ala.org1-800-545-2433 ext.5839
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