Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), announces the fourth deadline for the Big Read program. The purpose of the Big Read is to revitalize the role of literature in American popular culture. Grants ranging from $5,000 – $20,000 are available to encourage local communities to inspire reading through the Big Read program. This will be the only application deadline in 2008.
Big Read grants require the participation of a library as a lead applicant or a partner. IMLS strongly encourages museums of all types to apply as lead applicants or as partner organizations in the Big Read. Communities across the country have strengthened their Big Read projects by enlisting the support of art, science, history, and children’s museums, as well as aquaria, arboreta, botanical gardens, nature centers, and zoos. Some library/museum collaborations include:
- In its celebration of A Farewell to Arms, the Oak Park Public Library in Oak Park, IL, partnered with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park to host book discussions and costumed tours of the Hemingway birth home and museum.
- In programs related to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the Attleboro Public Library in Attleboro, MA, partnered with the Attleboro Arts Museum on “Reflections of Fahrenheit 451,” the community’s artistic response to the book and “The River of Our Voices,” a poetry workshop for readers of Fahrenheit 451.
- The major role of animals in Jack London’s The Call of the Wild, spurred the Omaha Public Library in Omaha, NE, to team up with the Henry Doorly Zoo for a talk by local Iditarod participant Matt Anderson and information sessions on various aspects of wolf behavior, diet, and habitat.
Organizations selected to participate in the Big Read will receive a grant, financial support to attend a national orientation meeting, educational and promotional materials for broad distribution, an organizer’s guide for developing and managing Big Read activities, guidance on working with local media, inclusion of the organization and its activities on the Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national initiative.
The Request for Proposals can be downloaded at www.NEABigRead.org. The proposal deadline is February 12, 2008. Questions should be directed to Arts Midwest at 612/341-0755 or TheBigRead@artsmidwest.org.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.