Irving Library Receives Grant Award for NTTBF

Irving Public Library has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the 9^th annual North Texas Teen Book Festival (NTTBF). This project will bring thousands of young people and educators to Irving for a free, two-day event celebrating Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature. Irving Public Library’s project is among 1,125 projects across America totaling more than $26.6 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2022 funding.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts and cultural organizations throughout the nation with these grants, including Irving Public Library, providing opportunities for all of us to live artful lives,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “The arts contribute to our individual well-being, the well-being of our communities, and to our local economies. The arts are also crucial to helping us make sense of our circumstances from different perspectives as we emerge from the pandemic and plan for a shared new normal informed by our examined experience.”

Interim Library Director Corine Barberena said, “The Irving Public Library is pleased to accept this grant from the National Endowment for the Arts! We are grateful for their support of our mission to provide literature and reading experiences to the Irving community and to all those who participate in the festival experiences.”

The North Texas Teen Book Festival will be held on a weekend in March 2023. The mission of NTTBF is to strive to connect our reading community, adding dimension to the reading experience through diverse author panels and dynamic discussions in a safe and fun environment. NTTBF Educator Day on Friday will provide Texas teachers and librarians with professional development through education- and literacy-focused panels with guest authors. NTTBF Festival Day on Saturday will target area tweens and teens with dozens of author panels, keynote addresses, book signings, book giveaways, and publisher events. Irving Public Library expects to reach over 15,000 readers and educators through this program. NTTBF has hosted winners of the prestigious National Book Award, Newbery Medal, Printz Award, Coretta Scott King Award, and Stonewall Book Awards, and each year the festival’s roster includes many bestselling writers as well as up-and-coming debut authors. 

For more information on other projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

SOURCE: City of Irving