Time to prepare for celebrating El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) April 30

More Resources Available to Libraries Serving Diverse Populations   (CHICAGO) As the nation’s population continues to become more diverse, more resources to serve those populations are now available to libraries through the new website devoted to El día de los niños/El día de los libros . (Children’s Day/Book Day), known as Día. Día encourages libraries to support multicultural family literacy throughout the year; and to celebrate children and literacy annually on April 30th The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, has redesigned and reorganized the Día website to offer models of various scope and budget for libraries conducting Día programming.  These models are included in a Resource Guide, designed to help libraries with all parts of Día programming.  The Resource Guide may be found on the Día website. A generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, to support Everyone Reads @ your library, is allowing ALSC to use the new website to extend Día’s reach to parents, caregivers and children by providing resources directed to them.  The site provides a brochure with a book list of more than 200 titles that features books in nine languages.  Activity sheets, for use at home, are also included on the website. An online Publicity Tool Kit is now available for libraries to use for their Dia events.  Included in the Kit is a sample press release, to help libraries reach out to their communities.  The Kit may be found at http://tinyurl.com/diapubtools . Libraries are invited to share their Día activities with other libraries across the country by registering their event through the database located on the website.  To each registrant, ALSC will send complimentary stickers and buttons to promote library Día events, while supplies last. Parents and others interested in Día can search the database map for local programs and events;  and librarians can review the activities other libraries to learn from their successes. Día is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925.   Children’s Day was designated as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children.   In 1996, nationally acclaimed children’s book author Pat Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy to found El día de los niños/El día de los libros.   ALSC is collaborating on this effort with the Founding Partner of Dia, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). For the Resources Guide, book lists, additional information and to register a Día event, please visit http://dia.ala.org. About The Association for Library Service to Children The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) develops and supports the profession of children’s librarianship by enabling and encouraging its practitioners to provide the best library service to our nation’s children.  ALSC provides leadership to the profession and public on behalf of high quality library services that support children in becoming lifelong learners. About The American Library Association The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 67,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. About Dollar General Dollar General is a leading discount retailer with more than 9,000 neighborhood stores in 35 states. Dollar General stores provide convenience and value to customers by offering consumable basic items such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids and cleaning supplies, as well as basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at everyday low prices. The company has a longstanding tradition of supporting literacy and education. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $50 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 2.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. To learn more about Dollar General, visit www.dollargeneral.com. About REFORMA Established in 1971 as an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), REFORMA has actively sought to promote the development of library collections to include Spanish-language and Latino oriented materials; the recruitment of more bilingual and bicultural library professionals and support staff; the development of library services and programs that meet the needs of the Latino community; the establishment of a national information and support network among individuals who share our goals; the education of the U.S. Latino population in regards to the availability and types of library services; and lobbying efforts to preserve existing library resource centers serving the interests of Latinos. ### Macey Morales Manager Media Relations, ALA 312-280-4393 mmorales@ala.org Follow me on twitter at #MaceyALA