[OPLINLIST] The MetLife Foundation Reading America Program

[Jane Byrnes]

Libraries for the Future, with the support of MetLife Foundation, is
sponsoring a national book and film discussion series for teenagers and
families, especially immigrant-Americans, that will take place in public
libraries.

This latest grant will enable the program to expand to 30 new library sites
around the country, while continuing to support the 19 sites that
participated in The MetLife Foundation Reading America Program in 2003.  We
are proud to be able to provide this opportunity for program expansion and
invite all libraries to submit proposals for participation.  The deadline
for proposals is April 9, 2004.

The MetLife Foundation Reading America Program was developed by Libraries
for the Future in response to MetLife Foundation's interest in how libraries
could be helpful in mitigating the tensions that often result from the
differing cultural experiences of adults and youth, especially when young
people are growing up in a culture unfamiliar to their parents and older
family members.  The program is designed to use literature, film, and the
neutral ground of the library to stimulate discussion that positively
affects the relationship between generations of Americans and
immigrant-Americans. The program is intended to provide a valuable addition
to the exemplary work that so many libraries are already doing with new
populations, families and teens.  It is also intended to stimulate increased
connections between local libraries and new audiences in communities
experiencing significant demographic change.

The application for The MetLife Foundation Reading America Program is posted
on Libraries for the Future's website at www.lff.org <http://www.lff.org> .
Should you have any
questions please contact me at 1-800-542-1918 or via email at
egoldman@lff.org <mailto:egoldman@lff.org> .

Thank you,

Elissa Goldman
Family Place Libraries Director
Libraries for the Future
27 Union Square West, Suite 204
New York, NY 10003
646-336-6236
egoldman@lff.org <mailto:egoldman@lff.org>