The AT&T Foundation announced today it has donated $250,000 to the Library of Congress for the first National Book Festival, an event that will bring nearly 60 American authors and illustrators to the Library in Washington this Saturday.

"AT&T is pleased and honored to be a charter sponsor of the National Book Festival," said AT&T Chairman and CEO C. Michael Armstrong. "For more than a century, AT&T has maintained its commitment to education and to reading as its essential skill. We’ve been a sponsor of the Texas Book Festival since it was begun by Mrs. Bush six years ago, and we’re delighted she is now making available to all of the American people a program that has been so successful in her home state."

The event is free and open to the public. The authors will conduct readings and book-signings from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will also include musical performances, storytelling, panel discussions and demonstrations of new technology.

"AT&T has long been a generous benefactor of the Library, beginning with their support of our National Digital Library," said Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington. "As the leading corporate sponsor of this electronic educational effort, they made possible world-wide access to the papers of Alexander Graham Bell, and many of the Library’s other American historical materials. Their role in supporting the Book Festival is just another example of the type of public-private partnership that can improve the life of our nation. If we can contribute to the nation’s love of reading, it will be a very successful event."

As part of this weekend’s support for books and reading, AT&T employees and retirees are donating 20,000 new books for children across the country in kindergarten through fourth grades.

ABOUT AT&T
AT&T (http://www.att.com) is among the world’s premier voice, video and data communications companies, serving consumers, businesses and government. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company runs the world’s largest, most sophisticated communications network and is the largest cable operator in the U.S. The company is a leading supplier of data and Internet services for businesses and offers outsourcing, consulting and networking-integration to large businesses. Concert, the AT&T/BT Global Venture, serves the communications needs of multinational companies and international carriers worldwide.

Through the AT&T Foundation (www.att.com/foundation), the company invests in projects that serve the needs of people in communities throughout the nation, particularly for initiatives that use technology in innovative ways and for programs in which AT&T employees are actively involved as contributors or volunteers. Through the AT&T Learning Network (www.att.com/learningnetwork), AT&T’s signature education initiative, AT&T supports efforts to improve teaching and learning through the effective use of information technology.

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