Freedom Through Literacy Awards 
Cracking Open The Universe 
Judith’s Reading Room Libraries Around the Globe
Judith’s Reading Room is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2010 to enrich lives and societies by proactively encouraging freedom through literacy.
“15 Libraries to Celebrate Its 15th Anniversary”
15 Years of
Instilling in Others a Life Long Love of Reading
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Judith’s Reading Room in 2025, the global literacy nonprofit founded in the memory of Judith F. Krug, cousin to the founders and a distinguished librarian, embraced a challenge: Dedicate15 new or enhanced Judith’s Reading Room libraries.
We proactively invited a diversity of literacy champions to tell us what they lacked so that we could fill that need and dedicate curated collections.
The 15 Libraries to Celebrate Our 15th Anniversary in 2025
- Bright School/TEACH Rwanda, Muhanga, Rwanda
- Escuela ‘Agustin Flores Contreras,’ Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Read for Literacy, “Real Men READ-y”, Toledo, Ohio
- Avery Chapel AME Church, Southaven, Mississippi
- Watch Me Grow Learning Academy, Grenada, Mississippi
- Mosaic Preparatory Academy, East Harlem, New York
- Louisiana Methodist Family & Children’s Services, Ruston, Louisiana
- Washington County Juvenile’s ‘Harkins House,’ Portland, Oregon
- Heavy Sound, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Janata Adharbhut Vidhyalaya School, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Vhulakanjhani Primary School, Limpopo Province, South Africa
- James Prendergast Free Library, Jamestown, New York
- Abundant Life Academy, Nutley, New Jersey
- Planting Hope, Navajo Nation, Chinle, Arizona
- Kirioruwa School, Marabedda, Bandarawela, Sri Lanka
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Judith’s Reading Room Concludes 2025 with 9 New Libraries in 28 Countries
December 20, 2025 – Blandon, PA. Judith’s Reading Room announced its #117th eponymous library in its 28th country at the Kirioruwa School in Sri Lanka, an island country in the Indian ocean on the Asian continent with a population of nearly 22 million.
Plans to establish our library were completely disrupted when, in early December, Cyclone Ditwah brought devastating rain and flooding to Sri Lanka and southern India. More than one million people were affected and 220,000 were forced into safety centers.
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Navajo Authors, Illustrators to be Showcased – Chinle, AZ
November 1, 2025 — Blandon, Pa. Judith’s Reading Room announced that its 116th Judith’s Reading Room library will be formally opened on April 9, 2026 in Chinle, Arizona, a community within the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in America. The announcement is made today to recognize National Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month which is celebrated each November.
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2025 Holiday Book Drive Kicks Off
UPDATE: November 3, 2025 – Over 80 Books donated to Judith’s Reading Room in just 2 days at Barnes & Noble Wymossing. They have already started filling Box #3. In the spirit of “One for you, and One for me,” Judith’s Reading Room and Barnes & Noble Wyomissing are asking for your generosity —donate a child’s book at check out and you will give the gift of literacy to a child without books in the home. The Book Drive kicks off on November 1, 2025 and continues through mid-December.
To Date: 117 Libraries, 28 Countries, 135,220 Books Donated Worth $1,454,371!
The Freedom Through Literacy Award celebrates a decade of honoring incredible champions of literacy. To date, the award has disbursed $58,600 to winners hailing from 18 countries: Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Greece, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, South Africa, the U.S.A. and Zimbabwe. Winners from the U.S.A. come from 11 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.