This is a selective listing of organizations that promote books and reading! administer literacy projects, and encourage the study of books. Compiled byf Carren O. Kaston, The Community of the Book focuses on national programs of special interest to the Center for the Bookin The Library of Congress, but should be of use to the entire book community. The Emphasis is on organizations in the United States, where recently there has been renewed interest in educational reform, in literacy, and in the future of publishing. The assumption underlining this unusual directory is that a "com-munity of the book" does exist and that it can be mobilized to keep books and reading central in the life of Democratic societies. The listings provide a richly detailed account of 89 major resource centers, providing names of directors, addresses, telephone numbers, and founding dates. In addition, each listing discusses the purposes of the organization, exam-ples of its activities, publications sponsored, and sources of fiscal support. In short, the volume is intended to serve as a national catalyst for stimulating public interest in books in particular and reading in general. Cole provides a pellucid opening essay on the subject: "Is There a Community of the Book?" What is surprising is not his clear affirmative answer, so much as the closely argued historical and analytical study of how this community has been deepened through the conscious activities of The Library of Congress. The work concludes with a brief but valuable guide to other resources, ranging from publishing, broadcasting, bookselling, libraries, and book collecting and culture.

This book is for those moving their library beyond places to find information. Written by practicing public librarians and an academic librarian with an interest in public libraries, the book focuses on how public libraries can become more community centered and, by doing so, how they can transform both themselves and their communities. The authors argue that focusing on building community through innovative and responsive services and programs will be the best way for the public library to reposition itself in the years to come.

"Perfect for teachers and school administrators looking to bridge the reading gap between the school and community. Provides many useful and relevant suggestions." —Ken Schofield, Principal Chaparral Elementary School, Phoenix, AZ "I absolutely enjoyed the text. The amount of studies and research-based decision-making strategies make this resource invaluable for schools working on school improvement plans. This book could be used as a textbook for reading improvement!" —Lyndon Oswald, Principal Sandcreek Middle School, Idaho Falls, ID Create a community-supported culture of reading that fosters students′ lifelong cognitive development! Based on the premise that student growth in literacy is strengthened when all stakeholders are involved, Coming Together as Readers, Second Edition, helps educators forge community collaborations to build successful reading at all grade levels. Drawing on her experience as a teacher, professor, and former president of the International Reading Association, literacy expert Donna Ogle offers creative strategies for using university partnerships, teacher collaboration, and family involvement to help shape, inform, and support reading habits beyond the primary grades. The author also provides an easy-to-administer survey for diagnosing a school′s reading culture, and demonstrates how to identify priorities and create a vision, encourage shared discussion and study, and move toward positive change that promotes ideal conditions for developing literacy. Aligned with national reading initiatives and standards, this updated, research-based edition includes: A new chapter about gaining support from libraries Protocols for teacher groups reviewing student work Examples of teachers sharing their own personal reading with students Web sites and tips for working with government and professional organizations This reader-friendly guidebook is ideal for helping young students expand their reading strategies to establish the cognitive foundation for advanced learning.

A timely companion to the New York Times bestseller For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too Progressive white educators on the challenges and reimaginings of anti-racist education, cultural responsiveness, and sustained liberatory learning practices Designed for educators by educators, From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood is the white teachers’ guide to effective multicultural, anti-racist pedagogy. Over 20 educators are featured in this book, representing different types of schools, different geographies, different durations of experience in the classroom, and different depths of experience in interrogating their whiteness. Throughout the text, nationally renowned educators and coeditors Dr. Christopher Emdin and sam seidel offer feedback and perspective on how to incorporate the practices and wrestle with the ideas outlined by the contributors. Replete with practical reflections and actionable exercises, this book explores among other things: —identity formation, healing, and growth in the early years of a teacher’s career —the restrictive, harmful nature of standardization and the power of localization as a tool for transformation —hip-hop as a vehicle for promoting culture and authenticity within the classroom —whiteness as a racial identity and intentional anti-racist teacher trainings to identify and unlearn white supremacy From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood is the essential classroom companion for every white teacher committed to fostering productive learning spaces that respect the races, cultures, and identities of their students. It offers all readers a window into the essential work that must be done to transform our nation's schools from sites of harm to sites of healing.

Research Methods for Community Change: A Project-Based Approach, Second Edition is an in-depth review of all of the research methods that communities can use to solve problems, develop their resources, protect their identities, and build power. With an engaging writing style and numerous real world examples, Randy Stoecker shows how to use a project-based research model in the community to: diagnose a community condition; prescribe an intervention for the condition; implement the prescription; and evaluate its impact. At every stage of this model there are research tasks, from needs and assets assessments to process and outcome studies. Readers also learn the importance of involving community members at every stage of the project and in every aspect of the research, making the research part of the community-building process.

In Gravyland, Parks chronicles the history of an urban university writing program and its attempt to develop politically progressive literacy partnerships with the surrounding community while having to work within and against a traditional educational and cultural landscape. He details the experience of Temple University’s New City Writing program from its beginning as a small institute with one program at a local public school to a multifaceted organization, supported by large multiyear grants and establishing partnerships across the diverse neighborhoods of Philadelphia. The author describes classrooms where the community takes a seat and becomes part of the conversation—a conversation that readers of Gravyland share through the inclusion of a selection of passages produced by community writers published by New City Community Press. While Parks celebrates classroom success in generating knowledge through dialogue with the larger community, he also highlights many of the obstacles the organizers of the New City Writing program faced. The author shows that writing alliances between universities and communities are possible, but they must take into account the institutional, economic, and political pressures that accompany such partnerships. Blending the theoretical and practical lessons learned, Parks elucidates New City Writing’s effort to offer a new model of education, one in which the voice of the professor must share space with the voices of the community, and one in which students come to understand that the right to sit in a classroom is the result not just of nationalist war but of peaceful civil disobedience, of community struggles to gain self-recognition, and of collective efforts to seek social justice.

You will find this book invaluable for teaching students the beauties of diversity and for building understanding of cultures from around the world. This book features more than 800 titles, both single volume and series, selected for their multicultural content and compelling reflections of the social issues of diverse cultures. The more than 100 interdisciplinary application strategies for titles range from reading aloud with follow-up discussions to social activism. Fully indexed by author and title, this guide includes Web sites for literature integration, contact information, a discussion of the benefits of multicultural literature, and suggestions for further reading. The perfect guide for introducing students to other cultures and customs.