News from the City of Dearborn John B. O’Reilly, Jr., Mayor www.cityofdearborn.org
MEDIA CONTACT: Henry Fischer, librarian, Dearborn Public Library, (313) 9432341, hfischer@ci.dearborn.mi.us
May 30, 2013
Dearborn Public Library one of 77 organizations nationwide to receive Big Read grant Dearborn to read and celebrate Jack London’s The Call of the Wild during The Big Read in 2014
DEARBORN, Mich. May 30, 2013—Dearborn Public Library has received a prestigious grant of $10,000 to host The Big Read in Dearborn, with communitywide activities planned in March through May 2014 for all ages. Dearborn Public Library is one of only two libraries in Michigan that were awarded this grant (the other is Cromaine District Library). The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage residents to read for pleasure and enlightenment. The Big Read Dearborn will focus on Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The Big Read Dearborn theme is Call of the Wild: EmBARKING on Discovery. To help bring this special program to life, Dearborn Public Library is partnering with many institutions and organizations, including The Henry Ford, the Dearborn Community Fund, the Dearborn Education Foundation, the Dearborn Public Schools, the Dearborn Library Foundation, Friends of the Library-Dearborn, the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-D) Mardigian Library, the UM-D Environmental Interpretative Center, Oakwood Healthcare Foundation,
the AAUW Dearborn, the Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter, the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, and the Dearborn Heights Libraries. The list is still growing. “We are beyond excited about this,” said Maryanne Bartles, Library Director of Dearborn Public Library. “With the generous grant from the NEA and Arts Midwest, and the wonderful support of our community partners, we hope to bring the Dearborn community together to learn, grow, have fun, and most importantly, READ,” Bartles said. The adventure begins with a kickoff at The Henry Ford on Saturday, March 8, 2014. The event will be in the Anderson Theater and the Prechter Promenade, featuring a dramatic reading from The Call of the Wild by literary celebrity George Guidall, free copies of the book, live music, family-friendly activities, and more. And this is just the beginning! Throughout March, April, and May, there will be a series of events for children, teens, and adults, including movies, book discussions, lectures, and a photo contest. Plans are to purchase 400 copies of the book in paperback for the kickoff and 10,000 copies in tabloid format for the entire program. In addition, dual language Arabic/English books for the selected title have been found so that The Big Read Dearborn can include Dearborn residents who speak Arabic as their first language. Also, the Dearborn Public Schools, the Henry Ford Academy, the Muslim American Youth Academy (MAYA) and Advanced Technology Academy (ATA) will incorporate the book into their curriculum in exciting ways. The program will wrap up in May with a special celebration at the Henry Ford Centennial Library featuring fun activities for the entire community. Please visit http://bigreaddearborn.org for updates.
Do you hear the call? The Big Read is managed by Arts Midwest and provides communities nationwide with the opportunity to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 31 selections from U.S. and world literature. For more information about The Big Read, please visit neabigread.org.
The Dearborn Public Library has been proudly serving the citizens of Dearborn since 1924. Its four major functions are lending, information, outreach, and public programming. Its mission is to provide a broad range of effective, courteous, quality services and a balanced collection of materials for the educational, informational and recreational needs of the community. Its vision is to foster the spirit of exploration, the joy of reading, and the pursuit of knowledge for all ages and cultures starting with the very young. For additional information, please visit dearbornlibrary.org. The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov. Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, 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 artsmidwest.org.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Henry Fischer, librarian, Dearborn Public Library, (313) 9432341, hfischer@ci.dearborn.mi.us Big Read grant 2013- press release 5-30-13