Free Reads
Through its Select Books free library program, The Ford Family Foundation is helping build local communities by fostering literacy.
Story by Sarah Smith Photos by Thomas Boyd
In an age when so much reading occurs online and electronic devices are becoming the dominant vehicle for casual reading, an actual, physical book, to some, may seem outdated; however, its presence sends a clear message that knowledge is crucial to the development and sustainability of communities.
In short, reading matters. But how do you extend support for literacy beyond school walls and into the community?
In Douglas County and elsewhere, The Ford Family Foundation is helping answer that question. Established in 1996, the private, nonprofit foundation awards grants to public charities and agencies benefiting communities in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, Calif. In addition, the foundation designs, manages and funds programs that aim to improve the well-being of children, families and communities.
Those efforts include a program called Select Books, through which titles covering education, art and community leadership are made available at no charge to interested readers. The goal of the program is to encourage personal growth by offering free access to books aligned with the foundation’s mission to support rural communities.
“We want to give people tools they need to understand their communities and engage informed citizens,” says Casondra Reeves, program director. “We want all Oregonians to have access to high-quality information without necessarily having to pay for it. This includes high-quality data about our state and communities. ”
In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts published Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America. This detailed study showed that Americans in almost every demographic group were reading fiction, poetry and drama — and books in general — at significantly lower rates than 10 or 20 years earlier. The declines were steepest among young adults.
“George Washington said, “To encourage literature and the arts is a duty which every good citizen owes to his country.”
More recent findings attest to the diminished role of voluntary reading in American life. The data revealed three unsettling conclusions: Americans are spending less time reading; reading comprehension skills are eroding and these declines have serious civic, social, cultural and economic implications.
“Our board of directors approved the Select Books program in August 2000 as a ‘How to Build Your Community’ free library,” Reeves says. “Until 2013, requested books arrived to us via U.S. mail. But in 2013, the program moved online where it became very popular and was expanded to reflect all the strategic areas of the foundation.”
Since Select Books’ inception, 31,500 books have been distributed, benefiting an estimated 28,500 people. Advertised through Blue Zones Project events across Oregon, leadership conferences, classrooms, book clubs and community activities, Select Books promotes literacy growth because reading is critical to developing productive and active adults and healthy communities.
George Washington said, “To encourage literature and the arts is a duty which every good citizen owes to his country.”
Literacy opens doors and is the key to a community’s future development. With select Books and its many other programs. The Ford Family Foundation is doing its part to foster the growth of local communities and the individuals who comprise them.
Learn more about Select Books and browse and order selections at tfff.org/select-books.
