60 libraries selected to receive Jewish literature discussion program grants

Contact: Lainie Castle


Public Programs Office


312-280-5055


lcastle@ala.org
For Immediate Release


January 24, 2006

60 libraries selected to receive Jewish literature discussion program grants

(CHICAGO) The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office (PPO) and Nextbook, a gateway to Jewish literature, culture and ideas, selected 60 public and academic libraries to receive grants for
Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature programs. This is the fourth round of
Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature—Identity and Imagination grants awarded by ALA and Nextbook. During the course of the three-year initiative, a total of 159 libraries have been selected to participate.

Based on the “Let's Talk About It” reading and discussion model pioneered nationally by ALA starting in 1984,
Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature features scholar-led, theme-based discussions that explore the best in contemporary and classic Jewish literature. Participating libraries will each host a five-part discussion series featuring one of four themes: Your Heart's Desire: Sex and Love in Jewish Literature; Demons, Golems, and Dybbuks: Monsters of the Jewish Imagination; Between Two Worlds: Stories of Estrangement and Homecoming; and A Mind of Her Own: Fathers and Daughters in a Changing World.

The libraries selected to receive the fourth round of
Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature grants are (in alphabetical order by state):

  • Westwood Branch of Los Angeles Public Library/Library Foundation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles
  • Santa Clara County Library, Los Gatos, Calif.
  • Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library, Monterey Park, Calif.
  • Shatford Library - Pasadena City College, Pasadena, Calif.
  • James A. Michener Library - University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colo.
  • Enfield Public Library, Enfield, Conn.
  • Georgetown University - Joseph Mark Lauinger Memorial Library, Washington
  • George A. Smathers Library - University of Florida – Gainesville, Gainesville, Fla.
  • Augusta State University - Reese Library, Augusta, Ga.
  • Odum Library - Valdosta University, Valdosta, Ga.
  • Des Moines Public Library, Des Moines, Iowa
  • Eureka College - Melick Library, Eureka, Ill.
  • Knox College Library, Galesburg, Ill.
  • Greenville College Library, Greenville, Ill.
  • Highland Park Public Library, Highland Park, Ill.
  • Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park, Ill.
  • Thomas Tredway Library - Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill.
  • Marion County Public Library, Indianapolis
  • Muncie Public Library, Muncie, Ind.
  • Lake County Public Library - Munster Branch, Munster, Ind.
  • Dodge City Public Library, Dodge City, Kan.
  • Johnson County Library, Overland Park, Kan.
  • Lexington Public Library, Lexington, Ky.
  • W.E.B. Du Bois Library - University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, Mass.
  • Mount Wachusett Community College Library, Gardner, Mass.
  • Peabody Institute Library, Peabody, Mass.
  • Stoughton Public Library, Stoughton, Mass.
  • Worcester Public Library, Worcester, Mass.
  • Worcester County Library, Snow Hill, Md.
  • Belfast Free Library, Belfast, Maine
  • University of Southern Maine - Glickman Family Library, Portland, Maine
  • York Public Library, York, Maine
  • Siena Heights University Library, Adrian, Mich.
  • Learning Resources & Technology Service at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minn.
  • Ellis Library - University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.
  • University City Public Library, University City, Mo.
  • University of Montana - Maureen & Mike Mansfield Library, Missoula, Mont.
  • Monroe Township Public Library, Monroe Township, N.J.
  • SUNY College at Cortland Memorial Library, Cortland, N.Y.
  • New Rochelle Public Library, New Rochelle, N.Y.
  • Poughkeepsie Public Library District, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
  • Rockville Centre Public Library, Rockville Centre, N.Y.
  • Ronald J. Norwick Downtown Library, Oklahoma City
  • Harvey Andrass Library - Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, Pa.
  • Waidner-Spahr Library - Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.
  • Abington Community Library, Clarks Summit, Pa.
  • Township Library of Lower Southampton, Feasterville, Pa.
  • Musselman Library - Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pa.
  • Rohrbach Library - University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, Kutztown, Pa.
  • Langston Hughes Memorial Library - Lincoln University, Lincoln University, Pa.
  • Penn State Harrisburg Library, Middletown, Pa.
  • Phoenixville Public Library, Phoenixville, Pa.
  • Mount Lebanon Public Library, Pittsburgh
  • Swarthmore Public Library, Swarthmore, Pa.
  • Central University Libraries - Southern Methodist University, Dallas
  • Elizabeth Huth Coates Library - Trinity University, San Antonio
  • Warren Public Library, Warren, Vt.
  • North Shore Library, Glendale, Wis.
  • Marshfield Public Library, Marshfield, Wis.
  • Albany County Public Library, Laramie, Wyo.

Libraries selected for the project are required to promote and present a five-part discussion series based on one of the four themes for a public audience. Each series features discussion programs led by a local scholar. Selected libraries receive training for the library project director at a national training workshop, program and promotional materials and a $1,500 grant to support workshop travel, program costs and scholar honoraria.

Nextbook is a national initiative to promote books that illuminate 3,000 years of Jewish civilization. Nextbook's programs include: partnerships with public libraries and other organizations to create innovative public programs; a series of short books in which prominent authors take on notable individuals, issues, or events in Jewish history; and a Web site featuring a daily cultural news digest, original features, and annotated reading lists. Nextbook is a gateway to Jewish literature, culture, and ideas for Jews and non-Jews alike. For more information, visit
www.nextbook.org.

The Public Programs Office is a unit of the American Library Association, the oldest and largest library association in the world. The mission of the ALA Public Programs Office is to foster cultural programming as an integral part of library service. Established in 1990, the office helps thousands of libraries nationwide develop and host programs that encourage dialogue among community members and works to establish libraries as cultural centers in their communities. For more information, visit
www.ala.org/publicprograms.