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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 2, 2008 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~~ <br />SUBJECT: Proclamation for Library Grant Award -Big Read <br />DEPARTMENT: Library PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Proclamation Brenda Stephens, Director, 245-2528 <br />PURPOSE: To consider approving a proclamation designating October 2008 as Big Read <br />month and to promote acommunity-wide literacy program featuring The Grapes of Wrath by <br />John Steinbeck. <br />BACKGROUND: The Library, participating with the North Central Piedmont Literacy <br />Collaborative comprised of Hyconeechee Regional Libraries, Piedmont Community College, <br />Orange County Schools, Person County Schools, and Caswell County Schools, has applied <br />and received the Big Read Grant from NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). The Big Read <br />is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literary <br />reading in American popular culture. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, <br />a 2004 NEA report, identified a critical decline in reading for pleasure among American adults <br />The Big Read aims to address this issue directly by providing individuals with the opportunity to <br />read and discuss a single book within their communities. <br />The grant was awarded to the collaborative to present acommunity-wide literacy program <br />featuring The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The collaborative will provide programming, <br />materials and books to the public for free during the grant timeline of September 13th through <br />October 30th <br />The Big Read kick-off for all participants will take place at the Rock of Ages Winery on <br />Saturday, Sept 13th. The Rock of Ages is a transformed tobacco farm to a winery and <br />vineyard located on Charlie Long Road in Person County near the Orange/Person county <br />line. This event will include invitations to the communities in Orange, Caswell and <br />Person counties to read, think about, and discuss The Grapes of Wrath. The keynote <br />speaker is Susan G. Shillinglaw, Scholar in Residence -National Steinbeck Center, and <br />invitations to attend have been sent to area Mayors, Boards of County Commissioners, <br />School district officials, the Assistant Secretary for the US. Department of Education, <br />Congressman, State Representatives and State Senators. Activities will include <br />