NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: Cathy Leiber
Literacy Non Profit Dedicates its 97th Library
Judith’s Reading Room libraries are now found in 20 countries
March 25, 2019 — Lehigh Valley, Pa. Judith’s Reading Room, established in 2010 to honor the memory and legacy of Judith F. Krug, a librarian, announced today that it has established a library containing over 400 books in the mountainous town of Zambrano in the Central American country of the Republic of Honduras.
Lafayette College Librarian, Ana Luhrs, a former member of the board of directors of Judith’s Reading Room, recently led a group of Lafayette students to build a curated library for exceptional women selected by village elders to attend The Leadership Center (TLC) in Zambrano. Ana used the funds she was awarded as a winner of the organization’s 2018 Freedom Through Literacy Award to purchase books, among them autobiographies of women, and to create a culture of reading for pleasure.
“Access to information beyond the classroom allows students to take ownership of their educational journey,” said Luhrs. “Library collections, especially well-curated collections, provide a variety of perspectives beyond that of a classroom textbook and an instructor,” she added.
“Judith’s Reading Room stands with the dozens of young women hand-picked to learn management and leadership skills at TLC so that they can become highly productive leaders in their country,” said Cathy Leiber, Co-Founder, Judith’s Reading Room. “Thanks to Ana Luhrs, having a library at TLC which is packed with books to encourage a love of reading, students will be able to explore the world when there is little opportunity to leave their country,” added Leiber.
Since 2010, Judith’s Reading Room has dedicated 97 libraries in 20 countries. The organization sponsors the Freedom Through Literacy Award which has disbursed $29,000 in awards to 25 individual champions of literacy. Additional information and the application for the 2019 Award can be found at www.JudithsReadingRoom.org/freedom-through-literacy-award/