Since 2004, Mystery Writers of America has been a member of the Library of Congress's prestigious Reading Promotion Partners network. MWA is one of approximately 80 national and international organizations involved in this program dedicated to promoting books, reading, literacy and libraries. Each year the Center for the Book sponsors an annual "Idea Exchange Day" in Washington, D.C. when partners meet to share resources, exchange ideas, and report on programs.
Other partner organizations include the American Booksellers Association, American Library Association, National Book Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Smithsonian Institution Libraries and numerous literacy organizations.
Dr. John Y. Cole, director of the Reading Promotion Partners network, stated that according to the National Institute for Literacy, another Reading Promotion Partner, 20% of adults in the U.S. read at or below a fifth grade level. "Though the Library of Congress's mission is not to eradicate illiteracy," he said, "we can lend our support instead to groups who do it."
Cole added that the purpose for establishing the Center for the Book in 1977 was to help a somewhat different group those he termed "aliterate" - people who can read, but choose not to do so. "That's where we want to shine," he said. "Our basic goal is to stimulate an interest in books."
