In 2011, The Santa Clara City Library Foundation & Friends ran a program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) called The Big Read. This is a program that still exists – about 75 communities get grants annually – to get whole communities to read the same book, learn about it, and learn something about each other as well.
The NEA gave us a $6000 grant to read Call of the Wild. Why Call of the Wild? Because the opening scenes take place in Santa Clara! Mary Hanel, who was the local history librarian at the time, gave an interview to the NEA about all of the locations that the novel mentions, and where SCCLFF or a sister organization was able to host an event, including a private tour of the Carmelite Monastery, a dog mushing demonstration at the Triton Museum of Art, and walking tours of Historic Santa Clara. Santa Clara University’s California Legacy Project also organized a number of events to discuss the book.
The Foundation & Friends gave away copies of the book in our Bookstore, and the Library showed the anime version of the movie, and Read Santa Clara used the graphic novel version of the book with its learners.
So many organizations across the city participated in The Big Read that year. It was an amazing event that drew in students of all levels, City Council members, and so many more people. It was a terrific effort and a great success.
Santa Clarans have a great sense of their community’s history, and we are so happy to have supported everyone learning more about it!
This post is part of our series celebrating The Santa Clara City Library Foundation & Friends’ 20th anniversary! Please read to learn more.