A nationwide effort launches to turn ‘book deserts’ into literary oases

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Mon, 2017-07-17 03:00
In a joint effort, literary publishers, the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Education, and the National Book foundation are trying to make books accessible to all areas. In particular, they want to ensure the availability of books that are appropriate for all ages, reading levels, and communities. These books will be available for free to the more than 4 million kids living in public housing with little to no access to bookstores or libraries.
The ultimate goal of the initiative is to provide over 300,000 books by the end of 2017. As of now, Penguin Random House has already committed to donating 200,000 books, with publishers Hachette and Macmillan also promising to participate. In addition to providing books, this program hopes to work with local libraries to provide community programming and community connections to famous authors.
The National Book Foundation is committed to making sure all people, especially young people who are building their identity as readers, have access to books.
~ David Steinberger

Key Takeaways:

1
The group wants to improve access to books across the country. An effort is underway to make literacy a goal all over again in the United States.
2
These ‘book deserts’ are places where it is hard to find a good book. But it is possible to transform that spot in to a literary oasis for local readers.
3
That is a worthwhile goal for educators and leaders in the community. Improving literacy rates and the availability of books has helped many people.
Read the full article here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/news/nationwide-effort-launches-turn-book-deserts-literary-oases