British Library and Camden libraries present THE BIG READ
The British Library has joined up with Camden Council Library Service to organise a BIG READ to celebrate the National Year of Reading. The campaign will culminate in an exciting free event at the British Library in December when participants will have the opportunity to ‘meet the author'.
The National Year of Reading (NYR) is a year-long celebration of reading in all its forms and aims to help build a greater national passion for reading in England – for children, families and adult learners alike. To celebrate the campaign, the British Library and Camden Libraries invite you to take part in their BIG READ - taking place from 26 September to 16 December across all of Camden.
To get involved, all you need to do is read as many of the following titles as you'd like:
My Once Upon a Time by Diran Adebayo
Black Gold of the Sun by Ekow Eshun
Love Falls by Esther Freud
The War for Children's Minds by Stephen Law
Greetings from Bury Park by Sarfraz Manzoor
Miss Herbert by Adam Thirlwell
These titles will be available in Camden libraries and will also be offered at a discount in the British Library Shop.
At the end of the BIG READ, the British Library will host a unique ‘meet the author' event in the British Library Conference Centre on 16 December. THE BIG READ: London Writers Meet the Readers will offer readers the chance to spend an evening with the authors of the titles on the BIG READ reading list. Readers will be able to ask the writers any questions they may have about their books, and will have the opportunity to get their personal copies signed.
The event is free but tickets must be booked in advance, via the British Library's website: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/whatson.html
- Join your local Camden Library to borrow copies of these books and to find out about other activities, events and reading groups.
- Why not form your own book group to discuss these books and generate questions for the authors?
- Send in your own reviews of the books for posting on the Library pages of the Camden website Send in your own reviews of the books for posting on the Library pages of the Camden website www.camden.gov.uk/bookreviews
Dame Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, commented: "The British Library is proud to have supported the National Year of Reading in 2008 and has enjoyed working with Camden Council Library Service on the BIG READ initiative. We are very much looking forward to our end of year celebration, which will offer readers the chance to meet acclaimed London writers, and I hope that the BIG READ campaign will inspire many people across Camden to discover the wonderful diversity and creativity of literature, and the endless joys of reading. "
Cllr Rea, Camden Council's Executive Member for Culture, said: “I'm delighted we're working with the British Library on this exciting event. Reading is an essential skill for life, and I hope the opportunity to discuss the books with their authors will ignite a passion for reading among even more Camden residents. All our libraries have the books in stock so there's no excuse not to get involved.”
Press enquiries: Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office, +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk
General enquiries relating to THE BIG READ: Caroline Cook at the British Library, +44 (0)20 7412 7147 or caroline.cook@bl.uk
Notes for Editors
THE BIG READ, organised by the British Library and Camden Council Library Service, runs from 26 September to 16 December 2008.
THE BIG READ: London Writers Meet the Readers takes place on 16 th December 2008. 18:00-21:00 at the British Library Conference Centre. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance at: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/whatson.html
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. www.bl.uk