NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: Cathy Leiber
www.JudithsReadingRoom.org
Judith’s Reading Room featured at Chautauqua Institution’s Eventide Event
Curated book collections and role of book clubs highlighted
July 25, 2024 — Chautauqua, NY — Last night the Alumni Association of Chautauqua Institution’s Literary & Scientific Circle (CLSC) hosted the founders of Judith’s Reading Room, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit headquartered in eastern PA, at their once-a-week Eventide Event. The organization’s mission and work over the last 15 years melded perfectly with Week Five’s theme: Our Greatest Challenges (that we can actually do something about.)
Since its founding in 2010, Judith’s Reading Room has dedicated 106 libraries in 23 countries with books curated for the exact audience being served. For example, books written by or about Indigenous people were selected for its library serving the Navajo Nation in Chinle, AZ. Books by or about black children were provided for its libraries in Tunica and Sunflower, MS.
The audience was engaged in a detailed conversation about the mechanics of opening libraries and filling them with curated books and offered suggestions for outreach in Kansas City, MO and other US states. The co-founders offered its insights into how average Americans can actually do something about “Our Greatest Challenges: Promoting Literacy.”
The CLSC is the oldest continuous book club in the United States dating to 1878. Over 8,400 people enrolled the first year. Reading Circles proliferated around the country and by the turn of the century, over 10,000 circles had been formed. It came as no surprise to the audience that the founders, members of CLSC, also emphasized the significant importance of their home town book club, Club Read of Easton, PA. Co-founder, Cathy Leiber, a member of Club Read for 20 years, catapulted the creation of book clubs at residential homes for at-risk youth. To date, Judith’s Reading Room maintains book clubs in connection with its libraries at such homes in three states: Louisiana, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
To date, Judith’s Reading Room has established 106 libraries in 23 countries with more than 133,000 books donated. On August 10, the organization will dedicate its 107th library in Edinburgh, Scotland in collaboration with The Scottish Book Trust and Heavy Sound, a local non-profit serving disadvantaged youth 12-15 who are below grade level reading. On November 8, Judith’s Reading Room will open its 108th library in Prague, The Czech Republic, with partner Pink Crocodile serving children with multiple disorders.
For more information on the role of book clubs for at-risk or reluctant readers, visit the website at www.judithsreadingroom.org, Click on ‘ABOUT US’ and scroll down to Initiatives to see the documentary “Cracking Open the Universe” produced by Judith’s Reading Room.
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