MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
September 15-30, 2004 Edition
Publisher Encourage Media
To Recognize Reading
on Literacy Day
Washington, DC/09/01/04 In recognition of International Literacy Day, on September 8, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) is calling on media to promote reading through expanded coverage of book events, authors and literacy issues to celebrate readingan important part of American culture. Cooperative efforts to reinvigorate love of reading are increasingly important as new statistics show a disappointing drop in adult reading. AAP continues to expand its own promotional program, the Get Caught Reading Campaign, and has partnered with the increasingly popular One Book initiative (in which members of a community are encouraged to read and discuss the same book) to encourage community-wide reading initiatives.
In an era of heavy competition for peoples time and attention, it is more important than ever to encourage reading. The many benefits that derive from reading books have been widely described, but significantly, a National Endowment for the Arts study shows literary readers to be more involved in cultural and volunteer activities. AAP is calling on media to concentrate, if only for a day, on this important part of our culture.
AAPs own reading promotion program, the Get Caught Reading (GCR) campaign, has provided communities with reading program ideas since 1999. GCR continues to grow and has had a banner year as far as schools, libraries and booksellers using the GCR theme in creating individualized community reading programs. A GCR newsletter can be found at: www.getcaughtreading.org. The GCR theme has been used recently in conjunction with the One Book program initiated by the Washington Center for the Book in 1998. A number of communities have successfully combined Get Caught Reading promotions with the One City, One Book concept. One Base, One Book was similarly developed to create reading events on military bases, and it has now infiltrated all three branches of the armed services. One Base, One Book has been actively promoted by AAP, and it has been met with tremendous energy and excitement.
The success of reading programs and efforts by media to promote them have helped them grow and encourage more people to read. AAP hopes that in celebration of International Literacy Day, media will promote local reading programs, new authors, expand book reviews and provide reading lists.
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAPs approximately 300 members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, at home and abroad, is among the Associations top priorities
