Twenty Libraries Nationwide Receive NEH Support for Reading-and-Discussion Programs

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced that 20 public libraries throughout the nation have received $1,000 each for participation in a national reading-and-discussion program called Let's Talk About It.

"The National Endowment for the Humanities reaches all corners of American society, and Let's Talk About It is a great program to do just that," said NEH Chairman William R. Ferris. "Even in this age of interactive computer programs, there is still no better way to exchange ideas than in person. Libraries serve as community forums where people come to learn about their various worlds, and NEH can help them explore and share those worlds by providing outstanding reading-and-discussion programs."

Let's Talk About It is a highly successful book-discussion program pioneered by the American Library Association in the early 1980s with support from NEH. The program focuses on scholar-led discussions of series of books organized according to specific themes.

Each library has chosen one thematic series of the four that have been developed for Let's Talk About It: The Next Generation. The themes are "Readings for the Millennium," "Literature and Culture of African American Migration," "Children's Classics for Adults," and "Latino Literature in the U.S."

Over the past 15 years, Let's Talk About It has been adopted and adapted by hundreds of libraries nationwide.

A detailed list of grants by state is available as an Abode Acrobat file in the above box.