• 2014-12-27

To establish its new brand in reading-promotion events, the NCL held the first Taiwan Reading Festival in Dec. 2013 with the support from the Ministry of Education. In 2014, a total of 30 different activities were held, attracting large public turnouts. To help enrich the holdings of remote libraries so that children there can read quality children’s books, the NCL held a “Sharing Love through Books” charity sale where it collected donations from different individual persons and institutions. A total of 885 items were donated by foreign embassies and consulates in Taiwan, local political leaders, library directors and staff, celebrities, national ping pong champions, professional baseball stars, super models, and many others. The activity raised NT$222,015 (US$6,900). All proceeds and donors are listed under News on the NCL’s website. (https://www.ncl.edu.tw/ct.asp? xItem=23028&ctNode=1620&mp=2) These proceeds were used to purchase illustrated children’s books that received awards from Taipei Public Library and the Caldecott Medal of American Library Association. The books were then donated to seven remote elementary school libraries. Each school held a unique activity to thank the NCL for the donations, which enable their students to see a wider swath of the world through good books, as well as their own future.