Special license plate to benefit Library Association

Drivers can now boast 'I Love to Read'

GV/AN/VIEW--Director of Henderson Library Tom Fay stands in the library which has recently had a 'I Love to Read' license plate issued at the DMV. Friday, April 29,2005--View photo by shelly donahue

Nevada book lovers will have a chance to show off their enthusiasm for reading while helping the Nevada Library Association by registering for a special edition license plate that tells the world "I Love to Read."

Tom Fay, executive director of Henderson District Public Libraries, led the effort to design the plate, which is now available through the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

The state of Nevada offers a total of 25 different license plate designs each year. According to Fay, last summer library representatives heard there was an opportunity to get one of the last open plate designs.

Nevada state librarian Sara Jones called Fay and told him she thought it would be a good idea for the library district to apply for the slot.

"We didn't have any art ready to go or anything," Fay said. "We contacted Imagine Marketing of Nevada and told them the library and the state didn't have any money to pay for designs, but they said they'd still like to do it and they worked up about a half dozen plate designs for us."

After getting the designs, Fay said the library district took them to a legislative subcommittee for approval in early fall of 2004. The groups decided on the "I Love to Read" motif and then checked the plates with the state patrol to make sure the selected design would work.

Fay said the day the plate designs were taken to the subcommittee there were four other applicants vying for the two available slots. That meant two of the groups would get their design on a plate, and the remaining groups would be placed on the waiting list.

"There are 25 plates, but if at least 1,000 people don't register for a certain plate design each year, that plate will lose its slot," Fay said. "Then groups that are on the waiting list get a chance."

In addition to coming up with a design, library officials also had to get 1,000 people to sign up for the plate in advance to prove there would be enough interest. According to Fay, many library and school district staff members signed up for the plate, and in two and half weeks the group had more than 1,500 signatures.

A final subcommittee meeting was held and the "I Love to Read" plate was approved and given priority. Though the plate originally was meant to debut this fall, the library association managed to convince the DMV to release it in April to coincide with National Library Week.

Fay said the group decided that money raised from the plates will go to the Nevada Library Association and then be dispersed to a couple of Nevada's library programs.

"One thing we really wanted to put the money toward was summer reading programs throughout the state," Fay said. "Every public library has great summer reading programs to encourage kids to continue reading during the summer. We've got good programs, and we wanted to get more money to improve them everywhere."

Libraries throughout Nevada will be eligible to receive funds from the plates for their summer reading programs.

Fay said part of the money also will go to education for librarians. Libraries across the Southwest recently received a grant for $365,000, which will help put 48 people in the area through graduate programs for library science. Money from the plates will supplement the scholarship programs the library association is known for.

"It's important to increase diversity among librarians in this area," Fay said. "We want our librarians to more accurately reflect the demographics of the community. We also have a lot of librarians getting to retirement age, and we need librarians to take their places."

Registration for the "I Love to Read" license plates will cost $61 the first year and $30 to re-register each year after. Of the initial registration price, $30 will go to the library association, with $20 going to the association each year after.

"We really think this plate can be a great thing for the Library Association if people get behind it and register for it," Fay said. "The plate that supports youth in the arts has brought in as much as $79,000 for arts programs throughout the state, and we're very excited to see if we can do that well."

Information about the license plates is available in any public library in Southern Nevada. To see the license plates or to register for one, visit www.dmvnv.com.