TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s School of Library and Information Studies is seeking applications from elementary and secondary schools in Alabama’s Black Belt region for its annual Book Bonanza for the Black Belt.
The Book Bonanza will give more than $1,000 in new children’s and teen books to five schools located in Black Belt counties. In 2012, the program gave away more than $7,600 in books.
“School library media centers in Alabama’s Black Belt region have a history of limited funding for library materials, resulting in fewer books available per student and outdated informational content with little appeal for contemporary children and teenagers,” said Dr. Jamie Campbell Naidoo, associate professor in the School of Library and Information Studies and Book Bonanza coordinator.
“How can we promote 21st-century learning in our state if all students don’t have equal access to 21st-century information?” he asked. “The Book Bonanza for the Black Belt can serve as fuel to spark the early interest in reading that is key to success as an adult.”
The application may be found online here. Completed applications must be submitted by email to Naidoo, jcnaidoo@slis.ua.edu, by midnight Dec. 3.
The Book Bonanza for the Black Belt program was started in 2009 by Naidoo and provides new, free books to school libraries in the state’s Black Belt region each December. Schools in the following counties are encouraged to apply: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter and Wilcox.
Contact
Misty Mathews, communication specialist, 205/348-6416, mmathews@ua.edu
Source
Dr. Jamie Naidoo, 205/348-1518, jcnaidoo@slis.ua.edu