Announced: December 14, 2012
The American Indian Library Association (AILA) and the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) are pleased to announce Toyota Financial Services will sponsor their Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture project for a second year. The sponsorship provides funding for family literacy programming grants awarded in early 2013.
Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture (www.talkstorytogether.org) is a joint family literacy project between AILA and APALA. Now in its fourth year, the program reaches out to American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) and Asian Pacific American (APA) children and their families and celebrates and explores their stories through books, oral traditions and art to provide an interactive and enriching experience. AILA and APALA provide grants to libraries interested in implementing programs geared toward AIAN/APA communities. To date, thirteen Talk Story grants have been awarded.
Those in AILA and APALA are thrilled to have the opportunity to work again with Toyota Financial Services. Liana Juliano (AILA) and Lessa Pelayo-Lozada (APALA), chairpersons of the Talk Story Committee, comment [Toyota has] “been such a wonderful sponsor to work with and their continued support will allow us to fund deserving libraries for another year.”
Libraries can apply for a Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture grant through the Talk Story Together website. Applications will be accepted through February 15, 2013.
An affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), AILA is a member action group and addresses the library-related needs of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Members are individuals and institutions interested in the development of programs to improve Indian library, cultural and informational services in school, public and research libraries on reservations. AILA is committed to disseminating information about Indian cultures, languages, values and their information needs to the library community. Additional information about AILA can be found at www.ailanet.org.
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) was established in 1980 by librarians of diverse Asian/Pacific ancestries who were committed to create an organization that would address and support the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities. In addition, over the years, APALA has granted numerous scholarships and awards. Additional information about APALA can be found at www.apalaweb.org.
Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture began as part of ALA 2009–2010 President Camila Alire’s Family Literacy Focus Initiative. The initiative encourages and inspires families in ethnically diverse communities to read and learn together through library-based family literacy programs emphasizing oral and written traditions and promoting reading, writing, and storytelling.