The Book List can be found HERE.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama is participating in “Books for the Alabama Black Belt,” a campaign with a goal of providing one book per child in the state’s 12 Black Belt counties.

The campaign, which targets one of the poorest areas of Alabama, will continue through April 20 with the goal of collecting some 30,000 books for children in Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Pickens, Perry, Sumter and Wilcox counties.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to donate new or gently-used classic and award-winning books that are frequently found on school reading lists for children in grades K-12.

Books may be placed in bins located around campus in the Ferguson Center, Tutwiler Hall, Lakeside, Gorgas Library and Bidgood Hall.

Monetary donations also are welcome and may be mailed to: University Center for Economic Development, Box 870138, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0138. Make checks payable to The University of Alabama. UA students can also contribute by swiping their ACT cards Feb. 7 and 21, March 3 and 21, and April 4 and 18 in Ferguson Center by Starbucks.

The UA Community Service Center, College of Human Environmental Sciences and Center for Economic Development are sponsoring the program on campus. The Children’s Literacy Guild of Alabama and Huntingdon College also are participating in the “Books for the Alabama Black Belt” campaign.

For more information, contact the UA Community Service Center, 205/348-2865.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.