UA Library Science Promotes Children, Reading, Multiculturalism

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded $100,000 to Knowledge River at the University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science to create public awareness of a national celebration of children, reading and multiculturalism.

Funds will be used to encourage national recognition of El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros, which is celebrated annually in the United States on April 30. Based upon a traditional Latin American holiday, El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros has been embraced by many public libraries as a day to encourage children to read about their and other's cultures. In 1998, the U.S. congress established El Día de los Niños as a national day to honor children. Although El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros takes its name from its Spanish language origins, it is a day for all children.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is supporting these efforts by funding a Knowledge River project to focus on encouraging more Día-related collaborations between schools and libraries, as well as involving the community at large in reading and literacy activities that promote cultural understanding.

Knowledge River will create a national Día network, establish a Web site for information sharing, work with library and school organizations and associations, and generally promote El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros nationally. It will also support El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros at several Tucson area public schools and libraries including Davis Bilingual School, Wakefield Middle School in partnership with Hollinger Elementary School, Marshall Elementary School, Walter Douglas Elementary School and Craycroft Elementary.

Knowledge River, the center for the study of Hispanic and Native American information issues, trains librarians to serve these communities and promotes library and information issues of interest to these groups. Patricia Tarin is director of Knowledge River. Author and educator Pat Mora has been a driving force within the Día movement, encouraging librarians, teachers and parents to encourage children to read the excellent multicultural material available in libraries and bookstores.

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930 to "help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources," has awarded millions of dollars to promote education and library activities, and has funded other Día projects in the past.

For more information about El Día de los Niños/ El Día de los Libros call (520) 621-6428.