Title
To celebrate the Big Read in the City of Columbus.
Body
WHEREAS, after a 2004 survey that showed that literary reading is declining rapidly among all groups, and that the rate of decline has accelerated, the National Endowment for the Arts initiated the Big Read; and
WHEREAS, the Big Read initiative is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture and includes innovative reading programs, comprehensive resources for discussing classic literature, and a national publicity campaign; and
WHEREAS, over the past decade, the percentage of US adults reading any book has declined by seven percent, and less than half of the entire American population reads any novels, short stories, poetries or dramas; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Manufacturers survey Skills Gap 2005, 51 percent of respondents stated that reading/writing/communication skills were a serious deficiency in the workplace and a 2006 National Endowment for the Arts study shows that literary reading strongly correlates to other forms of active civic participation, including performing volunteer and charity work, visiting art museums, attending performing arts events, even attending sporting events; and
WHEREAS, the Big Read encourages cities across the country to select a book to read as a community, with major events devoted specifically to the book such as panel discussions, author reading, film screenings, theatrical readings, and book discussions in diverse locations and aimed at a wide range of audiences; and
WHEREAS, starting in mid-April, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, The Ohio State University, WOSU Public Media, the Wexner Center for the Arts, will begin the Big Read Columbus and encourage Columbus residents to read Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club; and
WHEREAS, the Big Read Columbus will kick off with a celebration on the Statehouse lawn at noon on Wednesday, April 22, and will include a visit from Amy Tan for an author's reading of the book on May 22 among many other wonderful events; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council hereby recognizes the importance of literary reading for our community and encourages all citizens to participate in the Big Read.