A flood of requests from schools revealed how badly many libraries needed support, prompting bestselling author James Patterson to increase a donation he had originally planned at $1.25 million.
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he → reveal → million
In March 2015, Patterson announced the pledge in partnership with Scholastic Reading Club to help US school libraries buy books and improve their resources.
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libraries → announce → resources
According to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), the overwhelming response led him to raise the total to $1.75 million, with 467 school libraries eventually receiving grants.
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libraries → accord → grants
The funding could support books, reading programmes, technology and repairs, addressing practical needs that affect how children access reading and learning resources.
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children → support → resources
A pledge to help school libraries
Patterson announced the initiative on March 9, 2015, working with Scholastic Reading Club to distribute grants to schools across the United States.
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Patterson → help → States
The programme was designed to make funding accessible to school libraries, with individual grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.
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grants → design → 10,000
The author said he was concerned that fewer children were growing up in homes filled with books.
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children → say → books
He believed access to books and functioning school libraries could influence children's education and encourage a lasting interest in reading.
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access → believe → reading
Scholastic Reading Club helped administer applications through its network of schools and teachers.
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Club → administer → schools
It also offered recipients additional purchasing support through its Bonus Points programme, which teachers could use to obtain books and classroom materials.
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teachers → offer → books
The partnership connected Patterson's personal donation with an established education network, allowing the money to reach schools that needed help with their library resources.
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that → connect → resources
Why the donation increased
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donation → increase → ?
The response to the announcement was far greater than anticipated.
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response → anticipate → announcement
Within two weeks, Patterson and Scholastic had received more than 8,500 applications, according to a March 23, 2015, Scholastic announcement.
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Patterson → receive → announcement
The volume of requests prompted Patterson to add $250,000 to his original pledge, taking the total to $1.5 million.
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volume → prompt → million
Demand continued to grow.
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Demand → continue → ?
By June 2015, the partners had received more than 28,000 applications.
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partners → receive → applications
Patterson then announced another $250,000 increase, bringing the donation to $1.75 million.
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Patterson → announce → million
The requests highlighted a range of problems facing school libraries.
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requests → highlight → libraries
Schools sought money for new books, shelving, classroom materials and repairs, including damage caused by flooding.
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Schools → seek → flooding
Others needed resources to improve the spaces in which students read and studied.
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students → need → which
The response also gave Patterson and Scholastic an opportunity to draw attention to the challenges schools faced in maintaining well-stocked libraries.
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schools → give → libraries
The programme was intended not only to distribute grants but also to highlight the importance of access to books and reading resources.
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programme → intend → books
How 467 school libraries benefited
The grants were distributed in stages during 2015.
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grants → benefit → 2015
In June, Patterson and Scholastic announced the first round of awards, distributing $500,000 among 127 schools.
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Patterson → announce → schools
Individual grants ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, while the remaining funds were scheduled for distribution later in the year.
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funds → range → year
The American Association of School Librarians reported in March 2016 that 467 school libraries had received funding through the programme.
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libraries → report → programme
According to the organisation, the grants supported books, reading programmes, technology and repairs.
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grants → accord → books
These areas of spending addressed different needs.
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areas → address → needs
New books could expand the material available to students, while reading programmes could help schools encourage children to develop stronger reading habits.
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schools → expand → habits
Technology could improve access to educational resources, and repairs could help keep library spaces usable.
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repairs → improve → spaces
For schools working with limited resources, even a relatively small grant could address a specific need.
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grant → work → need
The programme allowed libraries to identify their priorities and request funding accordingly, rather than requiring every recipient to spend the money in the same way.
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libraries → allow → way
Recognition for a wider literacy effort
Patterson's support for school libraries was part of a broader effort to encourage reading among children.
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support → encourage → children
In March 2016, the AASL selected him as the recipient of its Crystal Apple award, recognising his contribution to school library programmes and students.
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AASL → select → programmes
The organisation noted his financial support as well as his advocacy for librarians and reading.
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organisation → note → librarians
Patterson said his aim was to make books available to children in every neighbourhood and encourage them to become lifelong readers.
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books → say → them
His partnership with Scholastic also continued beyond the original campaign.
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partnership → continue → campaign
In November 2016, the two announced another $1.75 million in school library grants, this time supporting 452 schools.
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two → announce → schools
Patterson subsequently extended his education and literacy initiatives to classroom libraries and other programmes.
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Patterson → extend → libraries
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
