The following is a text only press release from the federal Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  An HTML version of this release
with images can be read on the agency's Web site at:
http://www.imls.gov/news/2006/103106.shtm.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2006

Press Contacts
202-653-4628
Kevin O'Connell, [log in to unmask]
Mamie Bittner, [log in to unmask]

Seventy-two communities to participate in national program to promote
literary reading

The National Endowment for the Arts presents the Big Read in partnership
with the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Washington, DC-The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced
that 72 organizations will receive grants to support Big Read programs
between January and June 2007. The Big Read is a new national program by
the NEA, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS) and Arts Midwest, that encourages literary reading by
asking communities to come together to read and discuss one book. The
organizations selected to participate in the Big Read will receive
grants ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 to promote and carry out
month-long, community-based programs.

After executing a successful pilot Big Read program with ten communities
in 2006, the Arts Endowment announced in May that it would take the Big
Read nationwide. In July, Mrs. Laura Bush enthusiastically joined the
Big Read as its Honorary Chair.

Modeled on successful "city reads" programs, the Big Read is meant to
address the national decline in literary reading as documented in the
NEA's 2004 landmark survey Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading
in America. The survey showed that less than half the American adult
population now reads literature.

"With the Big Read we want to get everyone in a community -- from high
school kids and office workers to public officials and senior citizens
-- reading a great book together," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "Our
goal is to get people talking about Fahrenheit 451 or The Great Gatsby
with the same conviction that they debate the World Series. We want
people to feel worse about not reading the book than they do about
missing an episode of Lost or CSI."

"We are delighted to be partners in The Big Read. It's exciting to know
that our partnership on the national level can make it possible for
local communities across the United States to connect around reading a
good book," said IMLS Director Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice. "My message to
the new communities that are now part of The Big Read is: Bravo, I urge
everyone to get involved; reading together is a powerful experience!"

Participating communities, ranging in population from 7,000 to more than
four million, will read and celebrate one of eight classic American
novels: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, My Antonia by Willa Cather, The
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest
Hemingway, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, To Kill a
Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, or The
Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. To encourage community-wide participation in
the project, each organization will collaborate with public and private
partners within its community to develop a program of activities related
to the selected novel, including read-a-thons, keynote presentations,
film series, symphonic concerts, and museum exhibits.

In addition to direct grants, the NEA also will provide participating
communities with a library of free materials, including reader's and
teacher's guides for each of the Big Read novels, an audio guide for
each novel featuring distinguished actors and writers, an online
organizer's guide for hosting a Big Read program, a customized
television public service announcement, Big Read display materials, and
a comprehensive program Web site. The Boeing Company will support the
Big Read in communities with a military base.

The Arts Endowment will award a second round of Big Read grants for the
second half of 2007 to support programs running from September to
December 2007. Four additional novels will be available to those
communities: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, The Maltese Falcon by
Dashiell Hammett, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, and
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

Please see the complete list of grantees at
www.imls.gov/news/2006/103106_list.shtm.

For more information on the Big Read, please visit www.neabigread.org. 

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of
federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that
connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the
national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to
sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and
innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about
the Institute, please visit: www.imls.gov.

About the National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the
Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the
arts-both new and established-bringing the arts to all Americans, and
providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965
as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the
nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50
states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For
more information, please visit: www.arts.gov.

About Arts Midwest
Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to
meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and
understanding across boundaries. Arts Midwest connects the arts to
audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. One
of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts
Midwest's history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please
visit: www.artsmidwest.org.

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