Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 17, 2010
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Nebraska Librarians Urged to Invite Young Readers to Enter
Letters about Literature Contest
Young readers in grades 4 - 12 are invited to write a personal letter to an
author for Letters About Literature (LAL), a national reading and
writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead)
from any genre-fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic-explaining how
that author's work changed the student's view of the world. This reading and
writing promotion is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of
Congress, in partnership with Target. In Nebraska, Letters About Literature
is sponsored by the Center for the Book. Nebraska Library Commission
with support from
Houchen Bindery Ltd
LAL awards prizes on both the state and national levels. The Nebraska Center
for the Book has its own panel of judges who select the top letter writers
in the state. Nebraska winners are honored in a proclamation-signing
ceremony at the state capitol during National Library Week. State winners
will receive $50 Target Gift Cards and additional prizes, and then advance
to the national level judging.
A panel of national judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of
Congress will select six National Winners and twelve National Honorable
Mention Winners. The National Winners will receive a $500 Target Gift Card,
plus each will secure a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant in their name
for his or her community or school library so that others can experience
personal relationships with authors and the stories they tell. The National
Honorable Mention Winners will each receive a $100 Target Gift Card, plus
each will secure a $1,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant in their name for his
or her community or school library. The community or school library selected
for the National Winners and National Honorable Mention Winners is at the
Sponsor's sole discretion.
Students compete in three grade levels: Level 1 for grades 4 - 6; Level 2
for grades 7 - 8; and Level 3 for grades 9 - 12. Teachers, librarians, and
parents can download free teaching materials on reader response and
reflective writing at www.lettersaboutliterature.org. Submissions must be
postmarked by December 10, 2010. State winners will be notified in
March 2011 and national winners by mid-April. Nebraska-specific information
(including letters from Nebraska winners of past contests) is available at
centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html.
For more information contact
Mary Jo Ryan,
402-471-3434 or 800-307-2665.
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The
Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission
and brings together the state's readers, writers, booksellers, librarians,
publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the
book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in
books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is
supported by the Nebraska Library Commission.
###
As
the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for
the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the
Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of
library and information services, bringing together people and information.
The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are
always available on the Library Commission website,
nlc.nebraska.gov,
search on News Releases.