For our first blog, we wanted to share a really nice article written by Kurt Parsons, Quincy Art Examiner:
Quincy Public Library announced that it has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host The Big Read in Quincy, IL. Quincy Public Library is one of 75 not-for-profits—including arts and cultural organizations; libraries; and universities—to receive a grant to host a Big Read project between September 2010 and June 2011. The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 31 selections from U.S. and world literature. The Big Read: Quincy will focus on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Activities will take place September 9th through October 8th, 2010 .
With the support of the Quincy Community, The Big Read: Quincy has grown from a pilot project in 2008 which allowed Quincy Public Library to distribute 270 books to the planned 925 books to be distributed in 2010. The Quincy Public Library is proud to have the support of Quincy Public Schools and Quincy Notre Dame which will allow nearly every 10th grade student in Quincy to read the book along with the community as a whole.
The Big Read: Quincy would not be possible without the support of presenting sponsors The Friends of the Quincy Public Library and Quincy University . Additional 2010 Big Read Partners include: Quincy Herald Whig, WGEM, Quincy Society of Fine Arts, Great Debate Books, WQUB, Young Professionals, Walmart, Live Local and Women’s City Club. Special Thanks to Dan’s Auto, the Antique Auto Museum and Mississippi Valley Historic Auto Club.
“The Big Read is a wonderful and heart-warming project to be a part of. The Quincy community has embraced this project in past years and we are thrilled to be able to bring the Big Read back and reach even more people this year,” said Quincy Public Library Big Read Project Coordinator Julie Boll. Boll said this year’s project is especially rewarding since the number of grants awarded was cut from 274 last year to only 75 nationwide this year.
“The arts in general – and literature, in particular – often serve as an expression of our shared values. This is exactly why they are so effective as a fulcrum for community engagement,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “Thanks to these 75 grants, communities nationwide will be inspired, delighted and challenged by a book they are discovering for the first time, or an old favorite to which they are returning.”
“IMLS is proud to support The Big Read, a national program that brings communities together to read and discuss books,” said Marsha L. Semmel, acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “Through this program, libraries and museums are playing critical roles in reading partnerships across the country.”
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read has been provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Boeing Company, the Poetry Foundation, and the Ford Motor
