Dearborn Public Library Receives Grant for 'Big Read' Program

This article was posted by Daniel Lai. It was written and reported on by the Dearborn Public Library.

The Dearborn Public Library recently received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host "The Big Read" in Dearborn, with community-wide activities planned in March 2014.

The theme for the Big Read Dearborn is "Call of the Wild: EmBARKing on Discovery," with a focus on Jack London’s classic novel, The Call of the Wild.

The Big Read is a program of the NEA, designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage residents to read for pleasure and enlightenment.

The Dearborn Public Library is one of only two libraries in Michigan, and one of only 77 libraries in the nation, to receive the grant.

To help bring the program to life, Dearborn Public Library is partnering with local institutions and organizations, including The Henry Ford, the Dearborn Community Fund, the Dearborn Education Foundation, Dearborn Public Schools, the Dearborn Library Foundation, Friends of the Library-Dearborn, the University of Michigan-Dearborn Mardigian Library, the UM-D Environmental Interpretative Center, Oakwood Healthcare Foundation, the AAUW Dearborn, the Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter, the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, and the Dearborn Heights Libraries.

“We are beyond excited about this opportunity,” said Maryanne Bartles, director of Dearborn Public Library. “With the generous grant from the NEA and Arts Midwest, and the wonderful support of our community partners, we hope to bring the Dearborn community together to learn, grow, have fun, and most importantly, read."

The adventure begins with a kickoff at The Henry Ford on March 8, 2014. The event will be in the Anderson Theater and the Prechter Promenade, featuring a dramatic reading from The Call of the Wild by literary celebrity George Guidall. Free copies of the book, live music, and family-friendly activities will be part of the event.

Throughout March, April and May 2014, there will be a series of events for children, teens and adults, including movies, book discussions, lectures, a photo contest, and more.

Library staff plan to purchase 400 copies of The Call of the Wild in paperback for the kickoff, and 10,000 copies in tabloid format for the entire program. In addition, dual language Arabic/English books for the selected title have been found so that the community program can include Dearborn residents who speak Arabic as their first language. Also, Dearborn Public Schools, the Henry Ford Academy, the Muslim American Youth Academy (MAYA) and Advanced Technology Academy (ATA) will incorporate the book into their curriculum.

The program will wrap up in May, with a special celebration at the Henry Ford Centennial Library featuring fun activities for the entire community.

Visit http://bigreaddearborn.org for updates on The Big Read Dearborn. For more information about The Big Read, visit neabigread.org.