91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), has announced that Richmond (Calif.) Public Library is the recipient of the 2011 Light the Way: Library Outreach to the Underserved Grant. As the winner of the grant, the library will receive $3,000 for their "Literacy Bags for Bilingual Families" project.

The Light the Way Grant, which honors Newbery medalist and Geisel winner Kate DiCamillo, is now in its third year. Although originally conceived as a one-time award, it has continued to be presented with the kind generosity of Candlewick Press.

Richmond Public Library plans to use the money to provide access to books where children have very limited access to them. The elementary school cannot afford to loan out their materials to students, and many of the students do not have the means to get to a public library. By utilizing the successful partnership of Richmond’s bookmobile librarian with a local school, Montalvin Elementary School, the library aims to help strengthen English language skills for kids and families.

“The committee felt that the project's goal to create bilingual literacy bags for K-3 children, their families and caregivers is both attainable and replicable by other libraries,” said Erin Nguyen, chair of the 2011 ALSC Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee (LSSPCC). “The project will directly impact the literacy and language skills of the participants, but the literacy bags will also be available to others served by the public library.”

Candlewick Press is an independent, employee-owned publisher based in Somerville, Mass. Candlewick publishes outstanding children’s books for readers of all ages, including books by award-winning authors Kate DiCamillo, M. T. Anderson and Laura Amy Schlitz, the widely acclaimed 'Ologies and Judy Moody series and favorites such as the Where's Waldo? and Maisy books. Candlewick's parent company is Walker Books Ltd., of London with additional offices in Sydney and Auckland.

ALSC, a division of the 91´«Ã½, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,200 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s Web site at .

Members of the 2011 ALSC Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee include: Erin Nguyen, Knox County Public Library, Tenn.; Stacy Dillon, LREI, N.Y.; Paula Holmes, Upper St. Clair Library Board, Penn.; Teresa Prendergast, Vancouver (B.C.) Public Library; Teresa Raines, San Jose (Calif.) State University, School of Library and Information Science; Tricia Twarogowski, Va.