Maine Reads Community Literacy Project

The Maine Reads Community Literacy Project, a state-wide, community-based grants program, has the support of the Maine State Library, Maine Library Association, and Maine Association of School Libraries. Libraries in Maine are invited to participate and apply for programming support. Please note that the grant deadlines are November 15 for planning grants and April 1 for implementation grants. (See Guidelines for Partcipation for details of eligibility.)

Vision:

To view Maine as a state of life-long learners where every child, every adult, every family, and every community member is strengthened through libraries and literacy programs that encourage reading, where there is a renewed sense of community, enhanced growth, and improved quality of life.

Goals:

• Strengthen communities and families through reading, literacy programs, and libraries.
• Focus on public and school libraries as community centers for lifelong learning;
• Promote libraries as forums for intergenerational sharing of personal, family and community stories;
• Foster a working relationship between schools and public libraries;
• Encourage non-traditional partnerships between libraries and literacy organizations as well as the media, businesses, and groups;
• Recognize communities that have achieved a high level of literacy through support of their libraries and the development of partnerships.

Maine Reads thanks the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, the Margaret H. Burnham Trust, and Maine Community Foundation for support of the Maine Reads Community Literacy Project.