Celebrate Día’s 10th Anniversary

by Oralia Garza de Cort�s -- Críticas, 4/15/2006

On April 30th, hundreds of public and school libraries in more than 40 states will join the nationwide celebration of books and literacy, Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros (Day of the Children/Day of the Books). This year marks the 10th anniversary of a celebration that has become a new American tradition; an event that acclaimed author and Día founder, Pat Mora, has described as pure “bookjoy.”

Latino Families gather at the St. John’s Branch DIA celebration in Austin, TX

At the Kenton County PL and several other public libraries in Kentucky, award-winning bilingual poet Francisco X. Alarcón (Poems to Dream Together/Poemas para soñar juntos) will conduct a series of poetry readings and writing workshops. In Richfield, MN, the Church of the Assumption Activity Center will host a children’s festival featuring a children’s puppet performance of the Puerto Rican folktale Juan Bobo. The play Tomás and the Library Lady, based on Mora’s book by the same title, will debut at a children’s festival sponsored by the Maricopa County PL system. In Broward County, FL, a week-long children’s BookFest will feature noted storyteller Laura Sims and a musical performance by the beloved children’s recording artist and author José-Luis Orozco. And up to 40,000 children and their parents will gather once again in South Central El Paso for book giveaways and activities at El Paso PL’s Día celebration.

Día is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925 as a result of the first “World Conference for the Well-being of Children” in Geneva, Switzerland. Children’s Day was designated by the United Nations for November 20, by UNICEF for April 23, and by Mexico for April 30 (Día del Niño). In 1996, Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy, thus, the expanded title, Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros. That same year, REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, embraced the event, campaigning tirelessly to establish Día as a recognized literacy event in the library world.

A child writes a story

In its modern day transformation, Día is designed to celebrate children, books, languages, and cultures. It is both a daily commitment to promoting books and reading, and an annual event to bring attention to the joys and wonders of childhood and the importance of literacy in family life. For Latino immigrants, Día serves as a bridge to their native culture; a reminder of the childhood traditions they once celebrated in their home countries. (Día dates vary in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and other Latin American countries.) The annual celebration also gives Latinos an opportunity to embrace books and reading as new family traditions.

“We do Día because it is the most important and influential event we could be involved with,” says Melanie Tucker, president of the REFORMA de Utah Chapter, which won last year’s Mora Award for its Día program. The event drew more than 4,000 people and included a Spanish- and English-language book giveaway, bilingual storytelling, story writing, face-painting, Mexican paper flower making, and entertainment from Latino artists and performers. “Día represents what we’re all about, which is promoting literacy, libraries, family, and culture,” says Tucker.

Elva Garza, the Senior Branch Manager of St. John’s Branch in Austin, TX, has 10 good reasons to celebrate Día’s anniversary this year. Garza, who has spearheaded Día events in Austin for a decade, remembers Día’s humble beginning: “It started as an outreach effort, going out into the community of East Austin. People were not coming to us, so we went out to them.” The first celebrations were held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. This year’s event, held on the branch library grounds, hopes to attract 3,500 children and families from diverse neighborhoods in Austin and from the surrounding communities of Del Valle and Round Rock, TX. Austin, El Paso, and Tucson were the first three cities where REFORMA members campaigned to demonstrate to their library systems the value of celebrating a day full of cultural heritage and symbolism.

A bookmaking session

Today, Día finds its national home at the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association. The ALSC is pushing a more global and inclusive vision, so that Día becomes a multilingual and multicultural event and so that libraries promote the Día goals every day of the year. Committed librarians are implementing this message as they continue to develop a culture of literacy in their local communities and as they connect children and their parents to the invaluable institution that is the public library. Día programs are a great opportunity to serve the new waves of immigrants that weave the kaleidoscope of colors that makes the American fabric.

Día Aims To…

Honor children and their childhood.
Promote literacy and the importance of linking children to books, languages, and cultures.
Celebrate the child’s home language and culture.
Foster books and reading among families and communities.
Bring attention to books and stories that reflect the culture’s plurality.
Connect public and school libraries to families and communities.
Support bilingual and multilingual literacy in a multicultural society.
Build a global understanding of the world through library collections that reflect our plurality.

10 Good Reasons Libraries Should Promote Día

Address low literacy rates.
Redress inequities in the delivery of services in traditionally low-income communities.
Better serve diverse populations.
Provide low-income families with access to books.
Introduce low-income families to the public library
Give libraries visibility in the community.
Form partnerships and collaborate with other community based organizations.
Demonstrate need and provide rationale for increased budgets for diverse book collections, services, and programming.

Recommended Websites

www.ala.org/dia
The official Día website, sponsored by the Association for Library Services for Children, an American Library Association affiliate.

www.texasdia.org
Hosted by the Texas State Library, this site offers easy-to-use and affordable downloadable materials for librarians, teachers, parents, and community organizations. Resources include selections of storytime, finger plays, puppet shows, and other programming ideas.

www.reforma.org/dia
REFORMA’s Día website provides useful links to resources for year-round children’s programming.

www.patmora.com
The founder of Día in the United States, Pat Mora offers a wonderful introduction to the celebration as well as useful links to past recipients of the Estela and Raúl Mora Award for the best Día celebration program.

Spanish Outreach 101
In this Críticas feature, REFORMA’s president from 2005–2006, Ana Elba Pavón, spells out the basics of outreach to Latinos and provides helpful tips on planning and organizing events for the Spanish speaking.

Oralia Garza de Cortés spearheads the Día de los niños/Día de los libros Literacy Initiative for REFORMA. She also chairs the National Advisory Committee for the Día Literacy Initiative for ALA’s Association for Library Services for Children. She is Program Manager for Special Initiatives at the Los Angeles Universal Preschool Program in Los Angeles, CA.