Facing what he calls Romania’s ‘extremely shameful record’ in literacy and book culture, Bucharest MP Ovidiu Raeţchi is talking up his ‘Pact for Books’ aimed at boosting book sales.
Greece Opens Athens’ Year as UNESCO’s World Book Capital
International officials and media gather on World Book Day to open the 18th UNESCO World Book Capital program in Athens, celebrating what Greece’s Prokopis Pavlopoulos calls ‘the powerful potential of books.’
National Book Foundation’s ‘Book Rich Environments’ Enters Second Season
The program, run by the foundation that presents the annual National Book Award, is designed to distribute free, new books to young readers through public housing authorities in the United States.
The UK’s Book Aid International Opens ‘New Worlds Through Books’ Campaign
In a coordinated effort for the rest of the month, book charities Book Aid International and World Book Day are raising funds for the annual goal of a million donated books.
2017 Update: Book Aid International Progress ‘Inspiring Readers’ in Africa
In its four-year bid to benefit 310 public primary schools in Africa, Book Aid International reports reaching almost 99,000 students’ classrooms this year.
UNESCO and IEA Release New 5-Year International Literacy Report: Boys Lagging Girls
A substantial 18-point lag in male students’ performance compared to female students’ in the new 5-year PIRLS report on reading literacy from UNESCO, IEA.
Xerox’s ‘Speaking of Work’ Compilation Benefits Worldreader and 92nd Street Y
In a campaign called ‘Set the Page Free’–which highlights Xerox’s cloud-based software–the company has compiled contributed stories from 14 writers.
Italian Publishers’ Report at Frankfurt Book Fair: Focus on Readers
A report from the Italian Publishers Association names low readership as its ‘problem of problems’ and vows to address the country’s shrinking readership.
Industry Notes: MetaMetrics Announces an Upgrade to the Lexile Framework for Young Readers
‘To advance the science behind measuring text complexity,’ Lexile Framework has been enhanced, according to its parent company, MetaMetrics.
Kalimat Foundation’s Ara Initiative Helps Sight-Impaired Children Read
The Ara program from the Kalimat Foundation in the United Arab Emirates is working to make reading accessible to sight-impaired children in the Gulf region.