Cornell University Library will be distributing approximately 11,000 children's books from Scholastic Inc. to elementary-school and public libraries, as well as to literacy and other community organizations, in the upstate New York area.

Cornell received the books thanks to the generosity of Cornell alumnus Kevin McEnery '70, MBA '71, executive vice president and CFO of Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company. McEnery is a member of the Cornell Library Advisory Council. The books received from Scholastic include titles for preschool children up to sixth grade, ranging from simple digest paperbacks to hardcover "picture" books.

The books, say Cornell Library staff, will go to approximately 200 libraries and organizations in Tompkins, Tioga, Cortland, Schuyler, Chemung, Cayuga, Seneca, Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego and Allegany counties. Cornell Library is working with BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) library system directors to get books to elementary schools in the districts that serve these counties and is coordinating distribution to public libraries through the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Four County library systems. Books also will be distributed through the Family Reading Partnership to literacy organizations and agencies that serve low-income families in the Ithaca area.

Representatives from many of the participating libraries and organizations will come to Ithaca Saturday, May 3, to meet McEnery and pick up their books. For more information, contact Elizabeth Fontana, Cornell Library communications manager, at (607) 255-3322.