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PAST NEWS ARCHIVE
September 27, 2001
Contact: Patricia Fraga, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7528
Fax: (512) 974-7442

Teen Read Week Activities at Austin Public Library

Austin Public Library will celebrate Teen Read Week 2001 with several free special events, listed below. "Make Reading A Hobbit," the theme for Teen Read Week 2001, celebrates the popularity of fantasy literature with teens, and suggests connecting the word "hobbit" with the word "habit" to underscore the need for teens to develop a reading habit. This year's dates for the national celebration are October 14-20.

The Wired for Youth Center at Manchaca Road Branch, 5500 Manchaca Road, will present on Tuesday, October 16, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. a Chat with Dia Calhoun, author of Aria of the Sea. Submit questions and get answers during our online chat with this great author! Limit six people.

Manchaca Road Branch will feature another TRW event on Wednesday, October 17, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. entitled "Favorite Authors on the Web." Want to know more about your favorite authors? Come learn how to find information about them on the Internet. Limit six people.

On Wednesday, October 17, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., an APL Jubilee Celebration will be featured at Manchaca Road Branch! Come see Crockett High School student performers at this community event for all ages.

The Teen Time Travel group will celebrate Teen Read Week with a Hobbit Banquet on Wednesday, October 17, at 4:00 p.m. at the Southeast Austin Community Branch Wired for Youth Center, 5803 Nuckols Crossing Road. Listen to a recorded version of Tolkien's The Hobbit, as dramatized by the British Broadcasting Company, and discuss the characters, their adventures, and challenges. Help create a board game entitled "There and Back Again."

On Friday, October 26, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., come to Spicewood Springs Branch, 8637 Spicewood Springs Road, for the Wizards' Wing-Ding, a Middle Earth celebration for teens and families.

About Teen Read Week
Now in its fourth year, Teen Read Week is a national literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Its partners include: American Association of School Administrators, American Booksellers Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Council of Teachers of English, National Education Association, Speak Up Press, International Reading Association, and TeenInk.

The number of schools, public libraries and bookstores that celebrate Teen Read Week has grown, and their programs and activities have helped to spread the message that teens need to "Read for the Fun of It." The message is still an urgent one. The latest reading test scores from the National Assessment for Educational Progress indicate reading scores have made no significant statistical gains since the 1970s. They also report that a smaller percentage of 13- and 17-year-olds reads for fun daily in 1999 than in 1971. In addition, the number of different types of reading materials available in homes has decreased, and a smaller percentage of 17-year-olds saw adults reading in their homes during the same time period. Clearly, adults as well as teenagers need to develop the habit of reading.

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