- Barnes & Noble to donate 1,000 of its NOOK eReaders to Get London Reading campaign for use by "Beanstalk" reading helpers in schools
- Bookseller makes reading affordable across UK
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A new partnership initiative launches today between the London Evening Standard and NOOK Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), to support the London Evening Standard's pioneering literacy campaign, Get London Reading, and make reading more accessible across the UK.
In support of the campaign partnership, NOOK will donate 1,000 of its eReaders to the Get London Reading campaign, to be given to reading helpers trained by campaign partner Beanstalk, a national literacy charity. Beanstalk literacy volunteers will use the NOOKs in schools with high levels of illiteracy to help children who have fallen behind in reading and build upon the great work already achieved through the campaign.
The London Evening Standard's Get London Reading campaign is designed to inspire children to become better readers and maximise the opportunities that reading brings. Get London Reading has already helped over 2,000 London children improve their reading by raising £1 million to fund the training and supply of reading helpers into schools. The initiative, launched in June 2011, has also seen hundreds of London Evening Standard readers volunteer their time to go into schools each week to help children with their reading.
David Cohen, London Evening Standard's Campaigns Editor said: "Reading is a basic human right, without which a person is ill-equipped to function in society, let alone fulfill their potential. Shocking levels of illiteracy in London's primary schools prompted the Evening Standard to act by trying to help children who had fallen behind with their reading and were in danger of never catching up. We are thrilled that NOOK are supporting us - these 1,000 NOOKs that they have gifted to our campaign will help us reach even more children, improving their skills and helping them begin a life-long journey of reading."
Jim Hilt, Managing Director, Barnes & Noble, the world's largest bookseller and leading retailer of content, digital media and education, said: "Literacy is at the heart of everything we do. Together with the London Evening Standard and Beanstalk, we hope to further enrich the minds of readers of all ages across the UK and give them access to the books they love. Barnes & Noble is underlining our commitment to giving people affordable access to reading by lowering the price of our award-winning NOOK® Simple Touch eReader across the UK."
Sue Porto, CEO, Beanstalk said: "We are most grateful for Barnes & Noble's support and
look forward to seeing the impact the eReaders make in tackling illiteracy. In this digital age, where children have access to technology at ever younger ages, it's vitally important that we use every possible resource to help engage the children we are working with."
