WHO WE ARE
End Book Deserts is the brainchild of Dr. Molly Ness, who had the great fortune of growing up in a literacy-rich community. As a former classroom teacher, a teacher educator, a university professor, and a self-professed book nerd, she embraces book access as a fundamental component in growing lifelong readers. Amazed and inspired by the work of literacy innovators, she created End Book Deserts to shine the spotlight on those building book oases in high-poverty communities. Her hope is that by raising awareness and advocacy, the collective stories will help others adapt similar programs to eliminate book deserts in their communities. For more information on Dr. Ness’s books, professional offerings, publications, and teaching, please visit drmollyness.com.
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WHAT WE DO
Advocacy and Awareness: Our podcast features people and programs that espouse the End Book Deserts mission. Tune in to hear from innovative literacy innovators and entrepreneurs who are getting books into the hands of readers. By connecting these stories, we draw together shared experiences so that others may replicate their work.
Spread Book Culture: Not only do we aim to provide concrete resources, we build book culture in communities by bringing authors to communities, creating ways for children to interact around books, and providing ongoing learning opportunities for literacy leaders.
Share Research: We share out the staggering statistics about the implications of book deserts, as well as the transformative results of the programs that we highlight.
Draw Together Like-Minded Organizations: Eliminating book deserts entails more than flooding neighborhoods with books in mere quantity; we purposefully aim to bring quality books that represent the identities and realities of children today. As such, we aim to work with publishers, professional organizations, and authors to match books to readers.