ALSC and Candlewick Press
Contact: Diane Foote
ALSC Executive Director
312-280-2162
dfoote@ala.org
For Immediate Release
August 7, 2007
ALSC and Candlewick Press "Light the Way"
with $5,000 grant
CHICAGO - The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and Candlewick Press are pleased to announce “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved,” a one-time grant of $5,000 for a library conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations. The grant will be presented in honor of Newbery Medalist and Geisel Honoree Kate DiCamillo.
“When I was a child from a broken home in search of comfort, librarians handed me a book.” said DiCamillo. “I am proud to join with ALSC today in this ongoing effort to put books into the hands of children who need the books—the light—the most.”
The ALSC Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee (LSSPCC) will select the winner and may name up to three Honorable Mentions. Special population children may include those who have learning or physical differences, speak English as a second language, are in a non-traditional school environment or a non-traditional family setting (such as teen parents, foster children, children in the juvenile justice system and children in gay and lesbian families) and those who need accommodation service to meet their needs.
“With the ‘Light the Way’ grant, Kate DiCamillo and Candlewick Press serve as shining examples of an author and publisher who can make a measurable difference to underserved populations,” says ALSC President Jane B. Marino, director of the Bronxville (N.Y.) Public Library. “This grant provides ALSC with a unique opportunity to honor and support libraries who are doing exceptional work to reach out to such groups. We are honored to work with them through the Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee.”
Criteria and an application for the grant are available now on the ALSC Web site at http://www.ala.org/alsc. The winner and Honorable Mentions will be announced at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, January 11-16, 2008.
For more information on ALSC or the “Light the Way” grant, please contact Diane Foote at 312-280-2162 or dfoote@ala.org .
About Candlewick Press
Candlewick Press, which celebrates its fifteenth anniversary in 2007, is America’s fastest-growing independent publisher for children. Its parent company is Walker Books Ltd., of London, England, with additional offices in Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand.
About ALSC
ALSC is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of service to children in all types of libraries. ALSC sets the agenda for the future of children’s library service and acts as a children’s advocate urging policy makers to support library service for children.
About LSSPCC
The Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee (LSSPCC), established in 1964, strives to speak for special population children and their caregivers; to offer leadership in discovering, developing and disseminating information about library materials, programs and facilities for special population children and their caregivers; to develop and maintain guidelines for selection of useful and relevant materials; and to discuss, develop and suggest ways in which library education programs can prepare to serve these children and their caregivers.
