October 4, 2011 Navigating Through Digital Information Is Subject of Discussion

Graziella Tonfoni, a scientific and literary author with vast experience using digital resources, will discuss her experiences and research ideas at the Library of Congress on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 10 a.m. in the Mary Pickford Theater, located on the third floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Center for the Book and the European Division as part of the center’s Books & Beyond author series.

Tonfoni has published widely in both the United States and overseas on issues relating to language, writing and technology. She is a professor of linguistics at the University of Bologna, Italy. Tonfoni has also been a visiting scholar at MIT and Harvard University and has presented her methodology at many universities and research centers in the United States.

Tonfoni’s research is also the subject of a discussion on Facebook. The Books & Beyond Book Club is available at www.facebook.com/booksandbeyond/. Here readers can discuss books, the authors of which have appeared or will appear in this series. The site also offers links to webcasts of these events and asks readers to talk about what they have seen and heard.

Since its creation by Congress in 1977 to "stimulate public interest in books and reading," the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress (www.Read.gov/cfb/) has become a major national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages, nationally and internationally. The center provides leadership for 52 affiliated state centers for the book (including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and nonprofit reading-promotion partners and plays a key role in the Library’s annual National Book Festival. It also oversees the Library’s www.Read.gov website and administers the Library’s Young Readers Center.