Celebrate National Library Week this week by visiting the Westport Library and saying thanks to all of the people who work and volunteer at the library each day. This year's theme is "Lives change @ your library®."
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.
Celebrations during National Library Week include: National Library Workers Day, celebrated today, April 15, as a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.
National Bookmobile Day, is celebrated tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16, as part of National Library Week. It is a day to recognize the contributions of our nation's bookmobiles and the dedicated professionals who make quality bookmobile outreach possible in their communities; and Celebrate Teen Literature Day, is celebrated on Thursday (April 17) during National Library Week. The Teen Literature Day is aimed at raising awareness among the general public that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today's teens.
History
In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee's goals were ambitious. They ranged from "encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time" to "improving incomes and health" and "developing strong and happy family life."
In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. With the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme "Wake Up and Read!"
Best-selling author and intellectual freedom advocate Judy Blume is Honorary Chair for this year's National Library Week. Blume writes that she found her first favorite books while sitting on the floor of the children's room at the public library in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She grew up with her own characters and stories running around inside her head.
Today her characters live in 28 books in 32 languages. Her books for young adults, which have often dealt candidly with puberty, bullying and sexuality, have certainly been life-changing for generations of teens and tweens. They are among the most frequently challenged according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). She has worked closely with OIF and the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. You can read about the storm of controversy surrounding her books and her advocacy for intellectual freedom in an essay, "Places I never meant to be," on her website.
You can also show your support for America's libraries by signing the Declaration for the Right to Libraries.
We're also encouraging library supporters to share how the library has changed their lives. Everyone who posts a picture, or sends a tweet using the #LivesChange and #NLW14 hashtags or shares their story in our database will be entered to win a Kindle Fire. Learn more about our National Library Week promotion.
Please help us celebrate our nation's libraries and librarians this National Library Week and throughout the year.