(North Island Gazette: 2007 October 17)
School libraries are getting a boost on the shelves every month.
The Add A Book Club is a program initiated by the District Parent Advisory Council to provide new books to school libraries, says a press release from DPAC.
“The goal of this project is to create a unique literacy project that will excite students in our schools with new literature by giving their library a gift of two books once a month,” says the press release.
“The objective of this project is to highlight the new books each month and encourage reading and discussion about them.”
The DPAC has received two grants totalling $10,500 for the project.
“Once the Add a Book club has demonstrated the success of this program, the District Parent Advisory Council hopes to initiate community involvement in this project,” says the release. “Our goal is to find at least one sponsor from each of our six main communities on the North Island.”
Books will be chosen by a committee comprised of a parent, a school district administrator, a teacher-librarian and a first nations education representative.
Students will also be encouraged to submit the names of books they’d like to see in their library. The committee’s choices will focus on books that have received Canadian awards, books that address current concerns, books that are rich in history and books that complement the school curriculum.
The success of the program will be measured by how often the new books are signed out of the libraries and through book reviews and book talks from students.
