An inspiring new program in STL. Kudos to the SLCL team!!! We look forward to learning more about this program as 2015 gets underway. From St. Louis Public Radio: A new program aimed at promoting early childhood literacy is giving free books to newborns, starting in January. Through its “Born to Read” program, St. Louis County Library plans to give the new parents of as many as 8,000 babies born at four participating hospitals in 2015 a gift bag, including: a board book, a bath toy, a milestone marker describing where children should be developmentally, instructions on how to get a library card, and a calendar of literacy activities. According to Library Director Kristen Sorth, the goal of the program is to encourage new parents to start regularly reading to their kids as early as possible. Sorth said hearing their parents read helps babies develop language skills that will help them succeed later on in school. Read the Complete Article Learn More About the Born to Read Program (via St. Louis County Public Library)