Gale to Install the First of 21 Little Free Libraries in Detroit’s Littlefield Community to Improve Literacy and Book Access
DETROIT – July 24, 2023
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What: |
Gale, part of Cengage Group, in partnership with Brilliant Detroit and Little Free Library (LFL), will install its first of 21 Little Free Libraries in the Littlefield neighborhood hub in Detroit on July 27 at 3pm ET. A ceremony will be held at the hub to celebrate the first installation. Representatives from Gale and Brilliant Detroit, along with families and volunteers will be at the event to fill the library with books. We invite local media outlets to come and cover the event. Each LFL will be stocked with a variety of books – donated by Gale and their employees – for children and adults to encourage a lifetime passion of reading. The little libraries will include diverse, award-winning and bestselling youth large print books donated by Thorndike Press, Gale’s large print publisher. Youth large print makes reading more accessible for developing readers and is proven to increase decoding and comprehension.
The remaining LFL installations will take place throughout the months of July and August at each of Brilliant Detroit’s newest neighborhood hubs, as well as at their early learning and care, school and community sites, where they partner with a program to serve children. The 21 LFLs were initially built by Gale employees at a May 18 charity event hosted by the company at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. Gale will restock the libraries with books annually, ensuring the neighborhoods continue to have access to a wide selection of reading materials to enjoy. A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book-sharing exchange. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common version is a small wooden box of books, often built by supporters or volunteers with their own unique, personal touch. Little Free Library book-sharing boxes provide 24/7 access to books in areas where books are scarce to encourage reading. |
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When: |
Thursday, July 27, 2023 3pm-5pm ET |
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Where: |
Littlefield Neighborhood |
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12789 Indiana Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, 48238 |
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Why: |
With Detroit’s literacy rates lower than the national average, Gale hopes that placing Little Free Libraries throughout the area will help improve these rates and give children and adults access to free books as well as inspire a lifelong love of reading. The partnership with Brilliant Detroit and Little Free Library has a concentrated focus on providing young readers with access to youth large print books because research shows that large print text can improve reading confidence and skill level in students. A recent study conducted by Project Tomorrow®, an education nonprofit, indicates that students in grades 3-12 who read large print books developed stronger reading skills, felt more comfortable reading, and adopted new, positive reading mindsets. |
NOTE TO REPORTERS: Gale, Brilliant Detroit and Little Free Library invite you to attend and cover the installations and book stocking with the neighborhoods. Residents in the area will be notified of the event. Interviews in English and Spanish can be accommodated. Reporters should note the media event will offer photo and video opportunities of Gale and Brilliant Detroit participants stocking books into the new LFL and adding new, seasonal flowers around the LFL post. For media unable to attend the event b-roll and photos will be added to the post-event press kit of the installation and available for public usage.
About Cengage Group and Gale
Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 65 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.
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About Brilliant Detroit
Established in 2016, Brilliant Detroit provides a radically new approach to kindergarten readiness in neighborhoods and creates a unique delivery model for early childhood development by using underutilized housing stock to create neighborhood-based spaces that offer year-round programming within walking distance for families of children ages birth to 8-years-old. Brilliant Detroit hubs – complete with a signature orange front doors – work in partnership with local education, health, food and to bring evidence-based programs to families. The organization was born to create kid success neighborhoods and aims to create 24 hubs by 2024. Every hub is created “with, for and by” families and neighbors in each community that Brilliant Detroit serves. For more information, visit: BrilliantDetroit.org
About Little Free Library
Little Free Library® (LFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds community, inspires readers and expands book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Libraries. There are more than 160,000 registered Little Free Library book-sharing boxes worldwide in all 50 states, 120 countries and seven continents. Through them, over 300 million books have been shared since 2009. LFL received the 2020 World Literacy Award as well as honors from the Library of Congress, National Book Foundation and others. The organization grants Little Free Libraries full of books to underserved areas through its Impact Library and Indigenous Library Programs and champions diverse books through its Read in Color initiative. To learn more, visit: LittleFreeLibrary.org.
Media Contact:
Kayla Siefker, Gale, part of Cengage Group
248-378-3376