Washington, D.C. -- The United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) announced today that 47 libraries in twenty-four states have been designated as official participants in 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. Participating libraries will create a mosaic of opportunities for young people around the world to communicate with one another and share information about their lives and cultures. The Erie Public Library and Our Lady's Christian School in Erie, PA, will collaborate with the Erie Reading Council. Students will research that area of Pennsylvania and create drawings that depict its cultural and natural resources. These drawings will be collected in a book and sent to their Sister Libraries in Lubin, Poland and Zibo, China. The Reading Council will provide children's books for the Sister Libraries.
Working with the Border Regional Library Association, El Paso Public Library, El Paso, TX, will help develop school libraries in Juarez, Mexico, as part of its Sister Libraries project. "There is already a natural bridge between the two cities. The Sister Libraries project will solidify the connection between children and teens in both countries," said Leslie Trich-Humble, Armijo Branch Manager. El Paso Public Library is the oldest library in Texas.
The Delray Beach Public Library, Delray Beach, FL, is planning a joint project with libraries in Miyazu, Japan and Moshi, Tanzania to link the youth of all three communities. Using digital cameras and other technology, youth from each city will contribute information about their communities and cultures to a shared website.
Building on a 33-year Sister Cities relationship with Brecon, Wales, the Saline District Library in Saline, MI, will have a special storytime about Wales on March 1, 2000, the feast day of St. David, the Patron Saint of Wales. The library also plans other programs such as a harp player performing Welsh folk songs and a Celtic crafts workshop. Children will create illustrations from their favorite books to exchange and the Saline library staff will prepare a storytime kit about Michigan folklore for the Brecon librarians. Saline District Library serves approximately 17,000 people in the townships of Lodi, Pittsfield, Saline, Freedom and Bridgewater.
Washington Elementary School in Woodburn, OR, is located in an agricultural community of 15,000 in the Willamette Valley. "For the vast majority of our families, Spanish is the primary language used in the home. Because the majority of our Spanish speaking students have either come directly from Mexico or have close family ties there, the school is seeking a sister library in a Mexican elementary school," according to principal Leo Mellon. The school plans to exchange student-made books and to develop other collaborative projects with its Sister Library. NCLIS will assist Washington Elementary with identifying an appropriate Sister Library in Mexico.
Two of the selected libraries serve special populations, the Mississippi Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Jackson, MS, and the Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, ND. "This library serves the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians as both a community college and public library," says librarian Tom Eggers. "We have 8,000 to 10,000 residents on the reservation."
"NCLIS is delighted with the creative ideas and the fascinating projects that these libraries have submitted," said Chairperson Jeanne Simon. "Our initial Sister Libraries are already doing wonderful things. The programs of these additional Sister Libraries will also enrich our children and serve as models for others to follow. These libraries are truly honoring the past and imagining the future with their creative ideas for connecting children and teenagers throughout the world with one another." Ninety-eight libraries in 36 states and the District of Columbia have been selected since June 1999. Individuals seeking more information about Sister Libraries: A White House Millennium Council Project can contact NCLIS at 1110 Vermont Avenue, Suite 820, Washington, DC 20005, call (202)-606-9200, or send an e-mail message to SisterLibraries@nclis.gov. Application forms are available on the Commission website at www.nclis.gov/millennium/millenn.html.
The White House Millennium Council is a presidential initiative to help communities welcome the millennium by honoring the past and imagining the future. NCLIS is an official White House Millennium Council Partner for the Sister Libraries project. Libraries selected as Sister Libraries receive official designation as a White House Millennium Council site. Participants will be honored at the Sister Cities International annual conference in Denver, Colorado, in July 2000. 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.
| California Los Angeles County Public Library, Downey Riverside Public Library, Riverside San Bernardino Public Library, San Bernardino John O'Connell High School Library, San Francisco Santa Fe Springs City Library, Santa Fe Springs Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library, Stockton | New York Polytechnic Preparatory County Day School, Brooklyn Reed Memorial Library, Carmel Liverpool Public Library, Liverpool Marlboro Free Library, Marlboro Saugerties Public Library, Saugerties Walworth-Seely Public Library, Walworth |
| Colorado Aurora Public Library, Aurora Colorado State Library, Denver | North Carolina Southern Pines Public Library, Southern Pines |
| Connecticut Russell Library, Middletown | North Dakota Turtle Mountain Community College Library, Belcourt |
| Florida Delray Beach Public Library, Delray Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami Sarasota County Public Library, Sarasota | Ohio Loudonville Public Library, Loudonville Medina County Public Library, Medina |
| Georgia Georgia State University, Instructional Technology Center, Atlanta | Oklahoma Pioneer Library System, Norman Tulsa City County Library, Tulsa |
| Illinois Ela Area Public Library, Lake Zurich Normal Public Library, Normal | Oregon Washington Elementary School, Woodburn |
| Indiana River Valley Middle School Media Center/ Library, Jeffersonville LaPorte County Public Library, LaPorte | Pennsylvania Easttown Library and Information Center, Berwyn Erie Consortia-Erie County Public Library & Our Lady's Christian School, Erie |
| Louisiana St. Mary Parish Library, Franklin | South Carolina Chapin Library, Myrtle Beach |
| Massachusetts Boston Public Library, Boston | Texas El Paso Public Library, El Paso Pilot Point Middle School Library, Pilot Point Tyler Public Library, Tyler |
| Michigan Saline Library District, Saline | Tennessee Nashville & Davidson County Public Library, Nashville Oak Ridge Public Library, Oak Ridge |
| Mississippi Mississippi Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jackson | Washington Mount Vernon Consortia-Commons Media Center, Mount Vernon (joining with Washington School Library) |
| New Jersey New Brunswick Consortia-New Brunswick Free Public Library & Rutgers University, New Brunswick | Wisconsin Oshkosh Public Library, Oshkosh |