This year marks the debut of three awards administered by the Library of Congress and sponsored by philanthropist David M. Rubenstein to recognize and support achievements in the field of literacy, both in the United States and abroad.
Recipients of the first annual awards, announced in September at the Library’s National Book Festival, are Reach Out and Read (David M. Rubenstein Prize), 826 National (American Prize) and PlanetRead (International Prize). The Library caught up with Anne-Marie Fitzgerald, executive director of Reach Out and Read, and Gerald Richards, CEO of 826 National, to talk about their organizations and being the first recipients of the awards. Here are a couple of clips:
Headlining the 2013 Library of Congress Literacy Awards ceremony, which will be held on Monday, Nov. 4, are best-selling authors and literacy advocates David Baldacci and James Patterson. You can read more about the event here. The event, sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.