Celebrities to promote library use

Columbia County Library officials hope to soon use area celebrities to promote literacy throughout the county.

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Keisha Evans, a reference assistant at the Columbia County Library in Evans, is coordinating the Celebrity Read Poster campaign.

"We're aiming it toward the community as a whole," Evans said, adding that the campaign posters will feature area celebrities.

The American Library Association began the Celebrity Read Poster campaign in 1985 with Bill Cosby as the first nationally known celebrity to be featured on a Read poster. Evans said two of the three area celebrities asked to participate have already agreed. Columbia County Probate Judge Pat Hardaway and News-Times Publisher Barry Paschal will be the first people featured on the Columbia County posters. The third person asked had not yet responded, Evans said.

Evans said the campaign is a way to encourage literacy, to bring more people into Columbia County libraries and pay tribute to the library.

Well-known people from throughout the Augusta area will be asked to participate in the program. Paschal and Hardaway will be part of what Evans hopes will be the first stage of the campaign. Right now, Evans is scheduling photos of the participants, which will be made into posters. If the campaign is successful, more invitations to join the program will be sent to more area celebrities.

For more information, contact Evans at (706) 447-7669.