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 * // This is Emily btw :-) //

Here is my "thinking our loud" and random notes 4 page narrative 1 page organizational description 1 page staffing roles 2 page program budget = 8 pages total // This was a question someone else asked-doesn't have to be this exact amount but it needs to cover everything. Obviously our rough draft doesn't need to be perfect so I'm sure she'll tell us if we need to add more for a section. // I think we should try to get someone to come and speak, probably another program idea. // I was thinking maybe a local professor or historian to come talk not necessarily about the book itself but maybe topics within the book. // Get as much info about Balwin county from the our classmates (work smarter not harder:) // I haven't looked at it yet but other people seemed to have found a lot of info-I agree about using these resources. // How will we recruit people to our big read (advertising locations? work with high school, other groups)// One idea--we could get schools and colleges to use it in their classes perhaps--I know that might ruin the schedule but perhaps have teachers/profs do a day of discussing the book where it is relevant in their class and encouraging their students to read the book before the discussion // Make overall list of what our big read will include ( add to narrative) Do we need details of book discussion/ or just include our three questions? Maybe we should break it down like this // I think this is a good idea--spread out the work plus one person (or two in one case) can focus on one area instead of worrying about everything // 1 person do the organizational description 1 person do the staff roles and participation 1 person do the budget and two people could do the narrative/programs/events (that's how to kill a mockingbird is doing it) Hello everybody! This is pretty neat. :-) Thanks for setting this up, we have a lot of work ahead of us- - Laura

Kick-off event~ Have a main speaker,
 * GWU Professor of English and American Studies James A. Miller**, a specialist in African American Studies and author of [|//**Remembering Scottsboro: The Legacy of an Infamous Trial**//], will make opening remarks at this session, which will include a community discussion about the historical, social, and political dimensions of the justice system in Gaines's novel.

Keynote Speaker A community discussion of skepticism and belief, the secular and the sacred, in Gaines’s award-winning book will be lead by **GWU English Professor Gayle Wald**, a specialist in 20th-century African American literature and culture and author of [|**//Shout, Sister, Shout!//**,] a 2007 biography of the gospel performer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

2 Artistic Events Film showing of //A Lesson Before Dying// and another showing of a relevant documentary---Each library should be able to get their hands on a copy of the movies, there are also several short films on the Big Read site that libraries can use instead of a documentary. Also have local criminal justice professors speak after showing of one or both films. We will show a 20ish minute talk by Ernest that is on YouTube-each library should be able to do this. We will also have a list of alternate movies if //A Lesson Before Dying// is not available or if libraries want to show multiple movies.

Then 10 discussions--take place a multiple library locations including the Law Library in Bay Minette, and also have a few at local colleges and a museum. Possibly have college professors help mediate the discussions--two local colleges have criminal justice programs. Include in discussions the topic of whites who fought for African American rights.

For each speaker try to have a webcam set up so that there can be viewings in other libraries--The kickoff and keynote speakers likely only will speak at one location but having a live webcam set up could allow multiple libraries to watch the speaker. And each library will have a display set up with books-both fiction and nonfiction-that are relevant to topics covered in the book.

We will have a partnership with the University of South Alabama-Baldwin County Campus and Faulkner State Community College--professors from both will travel to the county libraries to help with discussions after showing films. Partnership = good because their students can also come to the film discussion--they are criminal justice students and professors.

** Application Narrative **

 * Describe your literary programming plans, the number, locations, types of activities, and potential partner roles, including your partner library

The kick-off event for the Big Read Program in Baldwin County, Alabama will the having a guest speaker visit Bay Minette Library in Bay Minette. The guest speaker will be James A. Miller, a Professor of English and American Studies from GWU who has previously spoken at similar events. He is a specialist in African American studies and has written a book, //Remembering Scottsboro: The Legacy of an Infamous Trial// which covers similar issues of race and justice as //Lessons Before Dying// does. Miller will speak and then open up discussion of topics covered within our Big Read book. This event will also be broadcasted live via the Web so that other libraries in the county can view Miller speaking. In addition, the broadcast will also be saved and a link provided on the websites for the county libraries so that patrons and others in the community can view Miller speaking.

Our Keynote speaker will be Gayle Wald, an English Professor also from GWU who is a specialist in 20thcentury African American literature and culture. She also wrote a biography of gospel performer Sister Rosetta Tharpe in 2007 called //Shout, Sister, Shout//. She will speak mainly about the connections between the Reverend and the characters of the book. The religious beliefs held by characters will be the main topic but also discussion of related topics within the book is welcome. This speaker will also be broadcasted live via webcam from the Bay Minette Library so that other libraries in the county can watch and then discuss as well. The broadcast will be kept and available for further viewing on the libraries websites.

There will be two artistic events that each library will be able to participate in individually. We will be showing the feature film based on the book //A Lesson Before Dying//. If libraries are unable to get a copy of this movie or want to show another film these are the alternatives: //Nightjohn, To Kill a Mockingbird, The History Channel Presents: Voices of Civil Rights (2005),// and //American Experience-The Murder of Emmett Till (2003).// Two of these are feature films while the others are documentaries. The History Channel documentary can also be split up into multiple showings if there is a lot of interest shown. The second artistic event will feature a 20 minute video of the author, Ernest J. Gaines, which is available on YouTube so each library will be able to show this with the right equipment. The libraries that do not have the right equipment will have the option of using local high school or colleges who likely have the needed equipment to view the video. Another short video from the Big Read website about the film based on the book will also be shown. After the showing of these short videos Criminal Justice Professors from Faulkner State Community College and the University of South Alabama-Baldwin County Campus will speak and hold a discussion about the topics covered in the films and book. A professor will be available at each viewing.

There are 12 cities with a public library in Baldwin County. Each of these locations will have at least one discussion about the book. The larger towns could have two. The cities with colleges in the town will also have a discussion on their campus that will include students, faculty and staff of the college that may not go to the public library. The city of Bay Minette also has a law library which will also have a book discussion held there. This is a location that will reach a different set of community members but also bring in others who may not have known about the law library. In Elberta, Alabama the Baldwin County Heritage Museum will also hold a discussion. This city is near Foley so residents in Foley can go either to the discussion in Elberta or the one in Foley, or even both. The Heritage Museum has a mission to preserve the history of the farming communities in Baldwin County which makes it an ideal location to hold a discussion because the book takes place in a community that relies a lot on farming. This location will also bring more members of the community to a place they may not have been familiar with.

Aside from the main events and discussions each library will also have displays. These displays will focus mainly on books, both fiction and non-fiction, that cover topics and issues that relate to //A Lesson Before Dying//. These books will be available for checkout, though to make sure more people have access to them the checkout time may be shortened. There will also be included in the display movies that patrons may be interested in. The movies that each library shows to the public will be added to the display and available for checkout after they have been shown to the community-if they are owned by the library. There will also be information available on the library websites. As previously mentioned there will be links to the videos of speakers available and also the links to the short documentary films will be available. There will also be links to relevant websites where patrons and community members can find more information about topics. There will also be a list of read-a-like books for those interested in books similar to //A Lesson Before Dying//.

The Baldwin County Library Cooperative will be the main library participant and plans to partner with Faulkner State Community College and the University of South Alabama-Baldwin Campus for the Big Read program.


 * Describe the involvement of media partners, and other community partners and their potential roles in the implementation of your plans.

We are hoping to get local radio stations within the county to mention the Big Read program during their broadcasts at different times during the day to reach a wider range of people. There are twenty-seven radio stations that reach Baldwin County according to the county’s website. We are also planning on having the program mentioned during the news on local television stations such as ABC, NBC, and CBS affiliates when covering local events. And if needed or possible a librarian is willing to speak about the Big Read program on the radio or television. Whether on the radio or television it will be made clear that anyone can participate and that they can go to their local library or library’s website for more information.

Our partnership with the local college and university will help reach a community that may not go to the public library on a regular basis. Also the professors there can have their students participate in the activities at the local library for school credit or added experience. Also by having some events take place at the campuses this will give the community an opportunity to intermingle, the college community with the city community, which can often times be separated from each other.


 * Describe your intended audience for these

o How your organization will engage audiences that are diverse within the context of your community,

o Groups you have identified as lapsed and/or reluctant readers, and your specific plans to reach them with programming.

The book we have chosen, //A Lesson Before Dying,// is a book that can read many audiences no matter their age, race, gender, education, or class. Baldwin County has a long and rich history which can also be seen in the book chosen. We plan to engage audiences by drawing them in by the similarities in the book with their own community. Ernest J. Gaines lived nearby in Louisiana and had a childhood that resembled the characters in this book. We hope that by giving members of the community an idea about what this book is about and what topics it covers they will not only show an interest in a story that may be similar to their own or someone in their family but also we hope they might be interested in a story that could have been written in their town. The author was born in 1933 and the book takes place in the late 1940s. This was not a long time ago so there must be people in the community who have had similar backgrounds or know people who did. The book not only speaks to the black community but also to the white and anyone who may have felt they were treated unjustly.

We believe that this book may be considered difficult to some groups of people. Groups that might be intimidated by the book might include young adults or people with less education such as only high school education. We have read the book so we do know that it can be read by people of different reading levels. We hope to reach different ages and reading levels by making clear that while not a very easy read it is not a difficult or long book to get through. We also hope to make it clear that there are audio books available to people who do not want to or cannot read that they have the option of listening to the story. We hope also that having movies included in the events that this will help entice readers to read the books then watch them on the big screen.


 * Explain how you will use and distribute the printed and online educational materials and, should you choose to purchase them, copies of the selected book.

We plan to use the educational materials provided by the Big Read. We hope to have Reader’s Guides at each participating library. Spanish translations are not available for this book which would be appreciated in the future because there is a growing Spanish speaking population in the area. We would also like to distribute the Teacher’s Guide to local schools to hopefully to not only promote the reading of the book but also get kids interested in the history associated with the book. The inclusion of guides for schools will also help get parents involved in reading or participating with their kids in Big Read events. We will use the Audio guides and make them available to people who prefer listening or are unable to read the Reader’s Guides. We will put banners and posters at each library as well as make bookmarks available. We will also distribute banner, posters and bookmarks to local schools if they will be used. Also with the information available on the website we will promote this in the libraries and schools but especially to the partner colleges who are most likely to use online resources.

There are currently eleven copies of //A Lesson Before Dying// in book form within the county libraries. There are two copies of the book on audio cassette, one copy available as audio download, and one available on Kindle or eBook. The libraries in the county would need to purchase more copies of the book and make a few more available both on audio whether CD, Cassette or other form as well as digital copy eBooks. The hard copies of this book will need to be distributed among the libraries. The libraries in larger towns will likely need more copies than smaller towns. The audio copies may be spread evenly or distributed more to where they are likely to be used the most. The eBooks and digital copies can be reached by any patrons with computer access and equipment such as an MP3 player so a few more copies should be bought but we do not need to worry about distributing them among libraries.

**Organizational Description**


 * Discuss your mission, principal activities, and the make-up of the community you serve. Describe any past programming that demonstrates your ability to develop and manage a successful Big Read program.

Mission

The mission of the Big Read Program, in Baldwin County, Alabama, for Ernest J. Gaines's novel, A Lesson Before Dying, is not only to bring discussion to the books many themes—social justice, racism, religion, education, and what makes a person a hero—but also frame programs that relate to these subjects. The themes in the novel are still relevant today, especially around the book's setting, the Deep South. Open-ended discussions of the book's content with a variety of different audiences will offer the opportunity for audiences to offer their own thoughts and opinions. There will be at least 10 book discussions at the libraries in the area, including a law library in Bay Minette. Discussions will also be held at two local colleges, and the County Heritage Museum. Professors from GWU will be available to mediate some of these talks; they have spoken about the book before during Washington's D.C's Big Read program for A Lesson Before Dying, in 2010. To continue the discussion, read-a-likes, and view-a-likes relating to our book will be available at the public libraries in the area.

Demographic make-up of Baldwin County

Censor details show that Baldwin has a large concentration of whites. Education wise, there aren't many people that have college degrees or graduate degrees. It is hoped that a Big Read program, based on Gaines's book, will raise more attention to racism issues that still exist and how social justice affects African Americans. Discussions on these topics, as well as other listed above, will generate more concern and attention to these areas. As a result, better education on these issues will be important for the people in this area. Moreover, the book has the opportunity to educate any culture, based on the topics it raises.

Principle Activities

The 12 branch libraries in the county's cities are a key partner for the Big Read project, and already ideally situated to hold programming and discussions about the book. Events will include a speaker and Keynote Speaker. The first speaker is a professor of English and American Studies and author of a novel about the Scottsboro Trial. He will discuss various aspects of the justice system presented in Gaines's novel. The Keynote Speaker will be English professor Gayle Wald, specialist in 20th Century African American literature and culture.

Film Showings

There will be a showing of //A Lesson Before Dying//, the fiction film adaptation of the book. For libraries unable to show the film, there will be alternatives (see the Application Narrative for more details). A short and long video (also with caption options) about Gaines can be shown, and is also available on the Big Read website.

Past Programming

A Big Read for A Lesson Before Dying, in Washington, D.C., from 2010, demonstrates successful programming. This model shows that a similarly designed program in Baldwin County can achieve the same results. D.C. Kick-started their Big Read with a city-wide book group and discussion; likewise the book discussions at the local public libraries in Baldwin will follow the same design. Emulating the D.C. Program, the Baldwin Big Read is recruiting the two speakers who made the D.C. Program a success. The D.C. Program incorporated films into their Big Read also with successful audience response.


 * Staffing Roles and Participation Description**

The library director will be doing a large portion of the preparation for the Big Read; including booking speakers, setting up travel arrangements, coordinating dates, meetings, and discussions. This overall planning will be somewhat time consuming, and we have planned on spending 20 hours to the overall planning process. The director’s pay for this time including benefits will be approximately $520.

Kick-off event

A library clerk will spend six hours setting up the community room of the library. They will also be responsible for displaying paper materials for the Big Read Kick-off. Any additional time will be spent hanging advertisements throughout the library, to further advertise the ongoing Big Read events.

The technical services librarian will have two hours to devote to the technical aspects for the kick-off. This will allow for enough time to make sure the technical equipment is ready, and a camera is set up for recording the speaker, as well as the time after the kick-off to set up the links online to the recorded presentation. We will also be asking the two bookmobile drivers to attend, should additional help be needed. The library clerk’s pay will estimate $43.50. Technical Librarian’s pay will estimate $40.00. Two Bookmobile drivers pay will estimate $72.00.

Two Artistic Events

To keep costs down, we will have our library clerk set up for these events as well. For that we are setting aside two hours for each event, with another hour per event, set aside for technical support, via the technical services librarian. These events will be overseen by the director, for this we can estimate a total of 6 hours. Clerk $29.00 Technical Services $40.00 Director $155.76

12 Book Discussions

To spread out the workload, and keep the discussions fresh, we will be dividing the book discussions between our librarians. The Director, Reference Librarian, Circulation librarian, and Technical services librarian will all host three book discussions. They will be paid for the approximate time of four hours for each discussion, which includes the time spent traveling. Director $312.00 Technical Services Librarian $240.00 Reference Librarian $204.00 Circulation Librarian $180.00