DoD CONGRATULATES SERVICE LIBRARY CHIEFS

[DOD]

NEWS RELEASE

No. 400-97
(703)697-5131(media)
_IMMEDIATE RELEASE_ July 24, 1997 (703)697-5737(public/industry)

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DoD CONGRATULATES SERVICE LIBRARY CHIEFS

The Defense Department in conjunction with the Armed Services YMCA and
the United States Naval Institute held a brief ceremony July 23, 1997
to honor the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation General Library Chiefs
for each of the military departments. The ceremony was sponsored by
the Armed Services YMCA as part of the close-out activities for this
year's Young Readers Project and was hosted by Fred Pang, acting under
secretary of defense for Personnel and Readiness.

The ceremony recognized the important contribution libraries,
librarians, and library staff make to the quality of life of our Armed
Forces. The Young Readers Project was created in support of President
Clifton's educational objectives, which this year stressed the value
and importance of reading, computer literacy, and using the internet.
In support of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's quality of life
initiatives, the project encouraged children in four categories to
submit essays on the value and the importance of reading. MWR
libraries and Department of Defense Dependent Schools around the world
provided internet access to children so that they could transmit their
essay submission to the Armed Services YMCA headquarters in
Springfield, Va.

The Armed Services YMCA views the Young Readers project as a program
to strengthen reading skills among our young students; but equally
important, it is a powerful tool to bring families together by
encouraging individual and family reading. The breadth of the response
to the essay contest was totally unexpected. There were over 4,200
essays submitted from families around the world. Many were from
children living in military communities, but others came from isolated
areas far from installation support networks, including embassies and
other isolated assignments.

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