The University of Chicago is helping thousands of students kick start their home libraries this year by partnering with schools, nonprofit organizations, and Scholastic Book Fairs, to provide half a million free books through the UChicago My Very Own Library literacy program.
In U.S. cities and the Dominican Republic, students in pre-K through eighth grade will select books at their schools’ Scholastic Book Fairs, allowing the children to take the lead in curating their own home libraries. Each student will bring home 10 books of their choice every year; because all students in a school participate, the children will work together to build a strong reading community.
Studies show programs that distribute books to children to foster book ownership help improve students’ reading performance, writing performance, attitudes toward reading, and general academic performance.
“UChicago My Very Own Library provides vital and direct support for children to advance reading skills, while building a lifelong personal connection with books. The University of Chicago is proud to have the opportunity to foster and advance this important program,” said Robert J. Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago.
This year, the University of Chicago assumed the leadership of My Very Own Library, which partners with nonprofit organizations in Chicago; Newark; Milwaukee; Kansas City, Missouri; Richmond, California; Delaware; and the Dominican Republic to implement the program through Scholastic Book Fairs. At the completion of the program participating students will have received a total of 100 books from pre-K through eighth grade. UChicago My Very Own Library provides participating schools with support to host engaging family literacy events, and inspiring visits with a diverse panel of nationally recognized or locally affiliated children’s authors and illustrators.
“Books have the power to open up a world of wonder, develop vocabulary skills and help students spark their creativity and imagination,” said CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson. “We are thankful for this critical partnership with the University of Chicago, which will provide our students will more opportunities to harness the transformative power of a good book.”
As part of UChicago My Very Own Library, researchers with the University’s School of Social Service Administration will study the program’s impact on educational outcomes and will provide findings and suggestions for improvements for the following year. The University’s Office of Civic Engagement Neighborhood Schools Program will play an important role by aligning University undergraduate students with volunteer literacy support roles at participating schools in Chicago.
My Very Own Library was introduced to Chicago in 2015 via the UChicago Charter School. The results were so successful that the University brought the program to several other South Side schools, including Beasley Elementary Magnet Academic Center, Beethoven Elementary School and South Shore Fine Arts Academy. For the current school year, 17 Chicago public schools are participating in the program. By the end of the school year, the program will have given 234,000 books and donated over $1.2 million to support literacy efforts for Chicago students.
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