Gov. Riley, UA Students Launch Statewide Reading Campaign

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Students at The University of Alabama will help kick off the statewide literary campaign “The Big Read: Alabama Reads ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ by Mark Twain” with an event featuring Gov. Bob Riley reading from the book on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 11 a.m. on the Statehouse steps in Montgomery.

At the launch, Gov. Riley will be reading aloud from the book’s prologue as the community is invited to read along in their own copies of the text. Members of UA’s Capstone Agency, a group of public relations students who have collaborated with state public relations coordinators and library regional project directors to implement the campaign, will also be on hand for the event.

Alabama Reads is designed to increase library use and literacy rates in the state by encouraging citizens to read the Mark Twain classic. The book was chosen to correspond with the Alabama Department of Tourism’s Year of Small Towns and Twain’s 175th birthday.

In an effort to reach every community in Alabama, the state has been divided into nine regions that include some 200 participating libraries. Each of the regions will be holding individual kickoff events beginning in February, followed by programs at local libraries to promote the book, including readings, music and food festivals, speakers and themed gatherings.

Previously, The Big Read had programs in Huntsville and Jefferson and Perry Counties, but this year is the first statewide effort. For more information, go to http://www.alabamareads.org/

The UA Capstone Agency is a student program in the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences.

Alabama Reads is a statewide program addressing literacy in Alabama and encouraging the use of public libraries in local communities. This year, Alabama Reads is partnering with The Big Read through the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture.