Washington, D.C.- The United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) announces that 51 libraries in 25 states have been selected as Millennium sites for the first phase of Sister Libraries: A White House Millennium Council Project (see attached list). Sister Libraries is a major initiative of NCLIS and Sister Cities International. The goal is for public and school libraries in the United States to pair with others worldwide, focusing initially on programs specifically planned for children and teenagers. Sister Libraries participants will create a mosaic of opportunities for young people around the world to communicate with and learn about each other's lives and cultures.
San Diego, CA and Colfax, WA formed consortia and developed plans for the entire community's public, elementary, middle and high schools to work together on Sister Libraries' initiatives. The Marathon County Public Library, Wausau, WI is using a traveling exhibition, Down Under and Over Here: Children's Book Illustration from Australia and America, to draw children and adults to the world of children's book illustration and to the joys and wonders of reading. Children and families will have a direct tie to children in Australia through a Sister Library connection. At the Helen Morgan School, Sparta, NJ, students will share information and opinions on books and then they will form hypotheses, manipulate the data, draw conclusions, and report back to their Sister Library. Other projects include a " teen-read-in" or a virtual book discussion, Cyber Pen Pals, programs focusing on children's authors during Children's Book Week, themes for the Summer Reading Club 2000, writing and exchanging poetry and short stories, internet chat sessions and many more.
NCLIS is delighted at the wide range of ideas and the fascinating projects that have been submitted. Chairperson Jeanne Simon said, "We will continue to learn about the varied activities of our Millennium Sister Library sites as the project continues. These initial fifty-one Sister Libraries will be models for others to follow. White House Millennium Sister Libraries are honoring the past and imagining the future with their creative ideas for connecting children and teenagers with one another throughout the world."
The White House Millennium Council Project is a presidential initiative to help communities welcome the millennium by honoring their past and imagining their future. NCLIS is an official White House Millennium Council Partner for the project. Libraries selected as Sister Libraries will receive official designation as a White House Millennium Council site. Participants will be honored at the Sister Cities International annual conference on July 22, l999 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
For more information about Sister Libraries: A White House Millennium Council Project, contact NCLIS, 1110 Vermont Avenue, Suite 820, Washington, DC 20005, call (202)-606-9200, or send e-mail to SisterLibraries@nclis.gov.
The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science is a permanent, independent agency of the Federal government that advises the President and Congress on the library and information needs of the nation and the policies and plans necessary to meet those needs.
LIST OF DESIGNATED LIBRARIES
Birmingham Public Library
Birmingham, AL
Central Arkansas Library System
Little Rock, AR
Cupertino Library
Cupertino, CA
San Diego Consortia:
Gompers Secondary School
King Elementary School
Museum School
Morse High School
Pruess School
Ray Kroc Middle School
Scripps Ranch High School
San Diego Public Library
San Diego, CA
District of Columbia Public Library
Washington, DC
Sidwell Friends School
Washington, DC
Castle Hills Elementary School
New Castle, DE
Broward County Library
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Dekalb County Public Library
Decatur, GA
Peach Public Libraries
Fort Valley, GA
Tifton-Tift County Public Library
Tifton, GA
Carbondale Public Library
Carbondale, IL
Ames Public Library
Ames, IA
Johnson County Library
Shawnee Branch
Shawnee, KS
Overlook Middle School
Ashburnham, MA
Cecil Manor Elementary School
Elkton, MD
Ann Arbor District Library
Ann Arbor, MI
Detroit Public Library
Detroit, MI
West Bloomfield Township
West Bloomfield, MI
Cloquet Public Library
Cloquet, MN
Kansas City Public Library
Kansas City, MO
Bozeman Public Library
Bozeman, MT
Helen Morgan School
Sparta, NJ
Washoe County Public Library
Reno, NV
Crandall Public Library
Glen Falls NY
Queens Borough Public Library
Jamaica, NY
Webster Public Library
Webster, NY
White Plains, Public Library
White Plains, NY
Cumberland County Public Library
Fayetteville, NC
St. Ursula Academy
Cincinnati, OH
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
Toledo, OH
Austin Public Library
North Village Branch
Southeast Austin Community Branch
Windsor Village Branch
Austin, TX
Fort Worth Public Library
Fort Worth, TX
Houston Public Library
Houston, TX
Virginia Beach Public Library
Virginia Beach, VA
Williamsburg Regional Library
Williamsburg, VA
Colfax Consortia
Colfax High School
Jennings Elementary/ Junior High School
Whitman County Library-Colfax Branch
Colfax, WA
Sno Isle Regional Library
Edmonds Public Library
Edmonds, WA
Washington Elementary School
Mount Vernon, WA
Marathon County Public Library
Wausau, WI