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National Library News |
by Mary Bond,
Research and Information Services
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The National Library’s Read Up On It program promotes Canadian books for children and young adults and a love of reading. As part of the celebrations of the program’s 10th anniversary, Céline Gendron of the Library’s Canadian Literature Research Service presented the Savoir Faire seminar on October 21, 1998.
She outlined the evolution of Read Up On It, explaining that it was originally created to exploit the relationship among media by encouraging interest in Canadian books among viewers of several Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) television programs including Glory Enough for All and The Nature of Things: A Look at Bats. In conjunction with these programs, reading lists of books about the topics were distributed through libraries and bookstores, and promoted on air.
During its first decade, Read Up On It has developed from these simple beginnings into a beautifully illustrated and annotated kit which is used by librarians, teachers and parents across Canada to identify the best of Canadian children’s literature.
With the assistance of Daniel St-Hilaire, of the Canadian children’s Literature Service, Céline Gendron illustrated her talk from the last six editions of the kit which are also available through the National Library’s Web site www.nlc-bnc.ca/ruoi/eruoi.htm.
In preparing the French section of the 1998 edition, Read Up On It: Experience the Adventure!, Ms. Gendron said that she immersed herself in the literature to select, cite and annotate titles for inclusion. She also stressed the importance of understanding the link between text and illustration in children’s literature.
Ms. Gendron noted the numerous partners who have been involved in Read Up On It. Partners and sponsors for the 1998 edition included the National Literacy Secretariat, Human Resources Development Canada, Canada Post, the Canadian Library Association (CLA), the Association pour l’avancement des sciences et des techniques de la documentation (ASTED), the Canadian Federation of University Women, YTV and the Access network.
Read Up On It is a National Library corporate project, involving Research and Information Services and Marketing and Publishing. Research and Information Services selects the theme and the books. Marketing and Publishing has designed, edited, marketed and distributed the kits since 1988. The Library’s development office organizes sponsorship for the program.
Other activities highlighting the 10th anniversary of the program included an exhibition of the works described in the 1998 Read Up On It and articles in the September 1998 issue of National Library News (vol. 30, no. 9, p. 1 and p. 5).
The next seminar in the Savoir Faire series is on February 16. Marie-Josée Therrien, a National Library researcher and project manager with the National Film Board, will present "Beyond the Frontiers: The Architecture of Canadian Embassies, 1930-1990".