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Reading

ILA Updates, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries
iREAD 2013 Summer Reading Program
January 26th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

The theme for the Illinois Library Association’s iREAD 2013 Summer Reading program is Have Book, Will Travel! Work has already begun on the 2013 iREAD Resource Guide, and the ILA is looking for ideas to share with other librarians and educators who use the iREAD program. The Resource Guide contains crafts, activities, games, art, reading lists, and much more for children, teens, and adults. If you have a project or resource to share, send it to the ILA. The deadline for submissions is February 28. Click here to submit your ideas.

Over the past 30 years, iREAD has grown to become a leader of Summer Reading Program development by providing libraries with all of the resources they need to promote, launch, and execute great reading programs. Increasingly, iREAD themes and programs are being used year-round in schools and literacy programs. For more information, call 877-565-1896 or visit here.
ISL E-news, Illinois State Library, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries
Read for a Lifetime Update
November 16th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

The Illinois State Library’s acclaimed reading program for high school students, Read for a Lifetime, is headed for another successful year! Organizers who haven’t done so are reminded to send in your student participation forms. Forms can be downloaded at the Illinois State Library’s website.

Return forms to Jeanne Urbanek, Illinois State Library, Gwendolyn Brooks Bldg., 300 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701-1796; or fax to 217-782-1877. Jeanne’s e-mail address is jurbanek@ilsos.net.

For more information>>
ISL E-news, Literacy, Reading
Literacy Spotlight: McHenry County College
November 4th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights McHenry County College in Crystal Lake. A truck driver had never learned to read, even though he completed 11 years of school. His family always helped him check his truck routes and maps before he embarked on a trip, but after a new job assignment required him to make local deliveries many times each day, his family could no longer help him.

The man’s employer realized he could not read and sent him to the Adult Literacy Program at McHenry County College. After one year of working with his tutor, the man attended a class with tears in his eyes. He told his tutor, “Thank you. Last night I read a book to my granddaughter!” The man continues to work with his tutor and now hopes to obtain his GED.
ISL E-news, Literacy, News, Reading
Literacy Spotlight: John Wood Community College in Quincy
October 28th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights John Wood Community College in Quincy!

Although she dropped out of high school, this 59-year-old adult learner always intended to obtain her GED. In fact, when she was in her 20’s, she attended a GED class in another state. The woman overheard her tutor saying that she was a “low-level reader,” which hurt her feelings so much that she quit the class.

Recently, the woman moved to Quincy to care for her ailing mother. She was able to transfer from the Indiana pharmacy she worked at to one in Quincy; however, the company now required all employees to have a high school diploma or GED. She worried that she wouldn’t be able to pass the GED test at age 59. She visited the literacy program at John Wood Community College, and was matched with an experienced tutor. She studied hard and successfully obtained her GED.

She is now studying for her pharmacy tech certificate and says her life would be quite different if she hadn’t been part of the John Wood literacy program.
Grants, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries
The Big Read
October 26th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

The National Endowment for the Arts is now receiving applications for The Big Read. Seventy-five organizations in communities of varying sizes will be selected to participate in the program that runs September 2012 – June 2013.

Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, a division of state, local, or tribal government or a tax-exempt public library. Eligible applicants include literacy centers, libraries, museums, colleges and universities, and arts organizations. Grants will be awarded in varying amounts, from $2,500 to $20,000.

Community organizations participating in The Big Read will develop and produce a well-planned, well-attended, community-wide read with innovative, diverse programming, and widespread community involvement and participation. Grant activities last for up to one month and focus on a book or poet from The Big Read Library.

To access the guidelines and application, visit The Big Read website.
ISL E-news, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries
Read for a Lifetime
September 9th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

The start of the school year provides high school students with the opportunity to sign up for the State Library’s popular Read for a Lifetime program. Read for a Lifetime, the first statewide reading program to target high school students, allows students to choose from a list of 25 book titles representing a mixture of classic and contemporary literature. Program details, a reading list and participation forms are located here.
Literacy, Reading, Research, School Libraries
Something to Shout About: New Research Shows That More Librarians Means Higher Reading Scores
September 7th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

A recent article in the School Library Journal presents findings on a groundbreaking study documenting the impact of librarian layoffs on fourth-grade reading scores between 2004-2009. The results show that despite other cuts in school staff, students in the states that lost librarians tended to have lower reading scores on standardized tests than states that gained librarians.

Read the article in the School Library Journal here.
ISL E-news, Literacy, Reading
New Newslink Available
September 7th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

The Fall issue of Newslink, the newsletter of the State Library Talking Book and Braille Service, is now available.

The Illinois Network of Talking Book and Braille Libraries (TBBS) serves more than 28,000 people with print disabilities, which includes anyone who is blind or visually impaired, who has a physical condition that makes it difficult to hold a book or turn pages, or who has a medically diagnosed reading disability such as dyslexia.
General, Literacy, Programming, Reading
The Poetry Foundation Gets a New Library
August 31st, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

The new library of the Poetry Foundation in Chicago has announced its first program, Collection and Cocktails: A Poetry Foundation Library Open House, to be held on September 7, 2011. Eight local poets will be reading from the library’s collection and attendees will have the opportunity to record themselves reading any poem within public domain.

The Poetry Foundation Library is the only library dedicated exclusively to poetry. The library features a collection of over 30,000 volumes and private listening booths to experience audio and video recordings. More information can be found in Greg Landgraf’s recent article, A Library Home for Poetry.

Admission to the open house is free, but pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
Literacy, Reading, School Libraries
Letters About Literature
August 26th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White urges students in grades 4 to 12 to enter the 2012 Letters About Literature (LAL) contest, a national reading and writing competition sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Illinois Center for the Book in partnership with Target.

Entries must be postmarked by January 6, 2012. State winners will be announced May 2012. For more information about the competition, contact Bonnie Matheis at 217-558-2065 or bmatheis@ilsos.net.

Information can also be found at Illinois Center for the Book .

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Reading

ILA Updates, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries

iREAD 2013 Summer Reading Program

ISL E-news, Illinois State Library, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries

Read for a Lifetime Update

ISL E-news, Literacy, Reading

Literacy Spotlight: McHenry County College

ISL E-news, Literacy, News, Reading

Literacy Spotlight: John Wood Community College in Quincy

Grants, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries

The Big Read

ISL E-news, Literacy, Reading, School Libraries

Read for a Lifetime

Literacy, Reading, Research, School Libraries

Something to Shout About: New Research Shows That More Librarians Means Higher Reading Scores

ISL E-news, Literacy, Reading

New Newslink Available

General, Literacy, Programming, Reading

The Poetry Foundation Gets a New Library

Literacy, Reading, School Libraries

Letters About Literature