Reading Nation Waterfall
Hi, it’s your ALASC blogging coordinator Sabrina, and in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day which was on October 14, I’d like to talk about Reading Nation Waterfall.
What is Reading Nation Waterfall?
Reading Nation Waterfall (RNW) is a $1.4 million grant project that is funded from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Reading Nation Waterfall project is run entirely by SJSU MLIS graduate students, with Dr. Chow leading the project.
RNW is currently partnered with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Lumbee, Northern Cheyenne, Santo Domingo Pueblo, and Yurok to bring books to children that otherwise would have little to no access to libraries, aiming t0 increase literacy. RNW works with Head Start, local elementary schools, and tribal public libraries to coordinate book distribution, also known as three legs of the stool, “The “three legs of the stool” analogy is used to illustrate the importance of the participating head start program, elementary school library, and public library within the tribal community. Each leg represents a crucial component and is necessary for the stability and success of the Sunrise Project.”
RNW has also partnered with Little Free Libraries to help distribute books, and so far, has distributed over 34,000 books across the US!
For more information about Reading Nation Waterfall, check out these articles:
- Here is an article from Library Journal about Reading Nation Waterfall
- An article about RNW Seeking Immortality, a project to preserve Northern Cheyenne cultural artifacts and language in virtual reality
- An article about the project from Washington Square.
Also, Seeking Immortality was recently nominated for the Anthem award for its VR work!
RNW is also proposing RNW: The Sunrise Project, for 2025, which is a continuation of RNW’s efforts to impact literacy and library usage for indigenous communities.
For more information on RNW, RNW Sunrise, and Seeking Immortality, follow the project on social media!
