December 29, 2003 (REVISED Yes) CORRECTION: Center for the Book Receives $409,000 Contribution for Family Literacy Projects Beginning in 2004

A corrected version of the entire press release can be found below:

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress has announced a $409,000 gift from the Viburnum Foundation to support new library-based family literacy projects in 12 states. "This generous donation allows the center to broaden its family literacy promotion activities both conceptually and geographically," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "At the local level, it encourages new involvement by community organizations; at the national level, it enables us to add two new states to our family literacy program."

"Our new endeavor is called Reading Powers the Mind," said project coordinator and Center for the Book consultant Virginia Mathews. "It will support pilot family literacy projects developed by libraries and their community partners in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia."

The previous Center for the Book/Viburnum Foundation Family Literacy Project, administered by the Center for the Book from 1998 to 2003, provided for the planning and promotion of family literacy projects in 10 states. During this period, the Viburnum Foundation made $3,000 grants directly to 222 small rural libraries; and the Center for the Book, often with help from its affiliated state centers, organized and staffed two-day training workshops for participating libraries and their community partners. The workshops were held in Jackson, Miss. (1998), Albuquerque, N.M. (1998, 1991), Austin, Texas (1999, 2003), Baton Rouge, La. (1999), Decatur, Ga. (2000), Oklahoma City, Okla. (2000), Montgomery, Ala. (2001), Columbia, S.C. (2002), Scottsdale, Ariz. (2002) and Little Rock, Ark. (2003).

The Center for the Book was established in 1977 to use resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. For information about its program and publications and the activities of its affiliates in 50 states and the District of Columbia, consult its Web site at www.loc.gov/cfbook.