Aurora Public Library receives $15,000 NEA grant
The Aurora Public Library has received a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for The Big Read program this fall featuring author Luis Alberto Urrea.
Seventy-seven grantees, including public libraries, literary organizations, YMCAs, universities and arts councils, are sharing in $1 million in grants to host a “Big Read” program between September 2013 and June 2014. The Big Read is an NEA program designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.
“In 2006, Aurora Public Library partnered with two area libraries to form a community reading initiative called Fox Valley Reads,” said Chris Schabel, adult services coordinator for Aurora Public Library. “The mission was to promote reading and appreciation of literature through community-wide events. Over the last seven years, Fox Valley Reads has evolved and expanded to include four other area libraries.”
Receiving the 2013 Big Read grant marks the third time Aurora Public Library has been awarded the grant for Fox Valley Reads. “Our mission remains the same and our success over the years has brought the libraries to the attention of residents in our communities,” Schabel added. “With each successive year, we have gained new readers and new library users from each of our participating communities. With the themes of this year's title, ‘Into the Beautiful North,' by Luis Alberto Urrea, we hope to reach the Hispanic community by offering Spanish programming; including a visit from the author.”
Over two days, Urrea will discuss his work at two public programs, one in English and one in Spanish, as well as with the students of East Aurora High School.
Watch the Fox Valley Reads website for information about the upcoming programs featuring Urrea: foxvalleyreads.org.
Aurora Public Library Director Eva Luckinbill said the library is grateful for the support of the NEA and other grant funders. “The opportunity to offer quality, literature-based programming increases the awareness of our library's value to the community it serves,” she added.
“It's wonderful to see that these 77 communities are making reading and the celebration of books a priority,” said Acting NEA Chairman Joan Shigekawa. “I look forward to seeing the innovative ways they find to engage their communities in these great works of classic and contemporary literature."
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
The Big Read provides communities nationwide with the opportunity to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 30 selections from U.S. and world literature.
The NEA was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.