HomeSLAMMIN @ your library is the Theme for Teen Read Week 2003

Contact: Nichole Gilbert, YALSA Program Officer
312-280-4387
ngilbert@ala.org

For Immediate Release
June 13, 2003

SLAMMIN’ @ your library^TM” is the Theme for Teen Read Week 2003

“SLAMMIN’ @ your library^TM,” the theme for Teen Read Week 2003, celebrates the popularity of poetry with teen readers.   The dates for this year’s celebration are October 19-25, 2003.  More information is available by visiting www.ala.org/teenread, the official Web site sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

The Teen Read Week Web site, www.ala.org/teenread, includes sample press releases and public service announcements, information on poetry slams and open mic nights, new sources of information about poetry contests and reading, articles by experts about poetry including recommended lists, and program ideas by state from across the country.    Participants are encouraged to register on the Web site, and an ‘Official Participant Certificate’ can be printed to identify a Teen Read Week participating site.

Now in its sixth year, Teen Read Week is a national literacy initiative of the YALSA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA).  The number of school media centers, public libraries and bookstores that celebrate Teen Read Week has grown. Over 1,000 participants registered on the Teen Read Week Web site (www.ala.org/teenread) in 2002 and in October 2002 alone, the site had over 130,000 hits.

Programs and activities of Teen Read Week participants have helped to spread the message that teens should “Read for the Fun of It.”   Literacy is a topic of ongoing national concern, and stories appear almost daily about falling test scores and lower graduation rates among teens today.  A recent survey found that teens do understand the importance of reading and its impact on their future.  According to the National Education Association (NEA), a poll conducted in 2001 by Peter D. Hart & Associates indicates that teens describe reading as “relaxing … rewarding … stimulating.”

Teen Read Week nonprofit supporting organizations include:   American Association of School Administrators, American Booksellers Association, Kidsnet, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Council of Teachers of English, SmartGirl.org, National Education Association, National School Board Association, Speak Up Press, International Reading Association, TeenInk and The N/Noggin.  Scholastic is a friend of Teen Read Week.

For more information, contact the YALSA office by e-mail at yalsa@ala.org, or by phone at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4387.