For Reading Out Loud

The new audio books for children that the libraries were able to purchase (with a grant from the State Legislature and local Rotary clubs) are available at your library. More have been ordered and will be on the shelf soon.

The audio books are a way for children to listen to a story read aloud. Of course, the best way is to read in person to your children. By reading aloud with your children and encouraging them to read on their own, you are helping them become better readers and listeners, and better students.

It's never to early or too late to start reading aloud.

For Reading Out Loud

Reading aloud to children is one of the best ways to help them discover the joy of reading. It's never too early or too late to start.

The grant and donations that the Cooperative received on behalf of the libraries is for purchase of audio books for children.

It's not exactly the same as reading aloud in person but there are enough similarities to make this form of reading aloud beneficial to children.

Check out the new audio books we've purchased.

For Reading Out Loud

Another donation--thanks to Rotary Club of Baker County for their donation to Emily Taber Public Library. This donation supplements the CLIC grant that the Cooperative received on behalf of the libraries.

If you haven't seen them already, look for the displays of new audio books for children in your library.

For Reading Out Loud

"The single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." from Becoming a Nation of Readers, a 1985 report by the Commission on Reading.

This is still true 23 years later. The best way for reading aloud to children is a parent reading to a child.

The Cooperative has received, on behalf of the libraries a grant funded by the Florida State Legislature for 2008. For Reading Out Loud will purchase audio materials for children in the three counties.

This grant program, Community Libraries in Caring,(CLIC), will allow the libraries to purchase additional audio materials for children. If you haven't already seen a display in the libraries of these new audio materials, you will soon.

While audiobooks are not the exact same thing as reading aloud in person, there are enough similarities to make this an adjunct to in-person reading aloud.

And we've partnered with the Rotary Clubs in each county. Each Rotary club donated additional money to supplement the grant award for each county. March was Literacy Month in Rotary and literacy is a special project of Rotary clubs worldwide.

A big thank you to local Rotary clubs and the Florida State Legislature.