About
At Foreword, we understand that every student needs books to read. Our goal is to provide access to reading materials in schools so that even if students can’t get to a public library, they will always have something to read. We do this by distributing electronic-access public library cards to K-12 school libraries and media centers. Students can check the cards out from school, then use them anywhere to access the electronic resources available from their local public library.
You can read about our history and projects below. If you are interested in partnering with us to establish a project in your area, or if you want to help us distribute more library cards by donating, please contact us.
It is our sincere hope that the cards we distribute are the foreword to a life of reading and learning for students.
History and projects
Baton Rouge, LA
Foreword began as The VOLUMEN Project in 2014. Funded by a $5,000 grant from the LSU Ogden Honors College, we distributed over 9,000 electronic-access library cards to students in every K-8 school in East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana. The cards grant access to the electronic resources available from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library (ebrpl.com), including 45,000 e-books and audiobooks, magazines (Pressreader, Flipster), language-learning software (Mango Languages, Muzzy Online, Pronunciator), homework help (Homework Louisiana), ESL resources, database access, music downloads, and more.
Trenton, NJ
In 2020, Foreword partnered with the Trenton Free Public Library (trentonlib.org) in New Jersey to distribute 5,500 electronic-access public library cards to K-12 schools in Trenton, New Jersey. These cards provide access to over 4,400 e-books and audiobooks, Flipster Magazines, Tumblebooks, TumbleMath, BrainFuse, World Book Online, Rosetta Stone, Rocket Languages, EBSCO Learning Express, Explora Primary School, Explora Secondary School, and Middlesearch Plus, among other resources.
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