UW Reads the US Constitution

Ever wondered what exactly is in the Constitution? The University of Washington Libraries seeks your help with our second annual "America Reads the Constitution" event. We are signing up 100 volunteers to help us read the Constitution aloud, and we are well on the way to meeting our goal! We need enthusiastic readers who are University students, staff or faculty -- each participant gets to read several sentences. Our read-aloud captures the attention and imagination of those walking through the Suzzallo-Allen Library. An easy to read .PDF edition of the Constitution may be found online at http://tinyurl.com/nzmxo.

Please stop by to hear a few minutes of this historic text.

WHAT: UW Reads the US Constitution
WHEN: Friday, October 12, 12:00 - 1:30pm (readers please arrive at 11:45am)
WHERE: Outside the Suzzallo Library Main Reading Room (3rd Floor, Suzzallo Library)
QUESTIONS: E-mail Government Publications, govpub@u.washington.edu, or Cass Hartnett, U.S. Documents Librarian, 206-685-3130.
READER SIGN-UP: Via the web at http://tinyurl.com/24vafw (see below for more info)

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(Instructions to readers below)

To volunteer as a reader, click here and enter your NetID and password. (Don't worry about printing or saving the confirmation code that is generated after you hit "Submit".) And thank you for volunteering to be part of our 2007 "UW Reads the US Constitution" event! We greatly appreciate your willingness to read. We will e-mail you with further details as needed.

BASICS

When: Friday, October 12, 2007. Please arrive no later than 11:45, reading takes 60-90 minutes, will probably end around 1:15. If you need to read and leave early, this is okay.

You need to bring: Nothing. We will provide an easy-to-read (large print) edition of the Constitution. Regular work attire, including the wearing of work-related uniforms, is great; we are not dressing up as historic figures.

Your reading will be: very brief (less than one minute) and assigned to you at the event. Regrettably, we can't guarantee you a specific section. Be comfortable and relaxed -- you're a good reader!

MORE DETAILS

Throughout the country, there is an increasing interest in civic engagement and education for citizenship. Right here on campus, there is a Center for Communication and Civic Engagement at http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/Home.htm. People want to know about their government. Hearing our Constitution read aloud provides a different perspective than does reading it silently, watching a video, or clicking along on a computer screen. We hope to inspire ourselves and others by employing a large group of readers -- one hundred, to be exact. Constitution-readings are promoted nationwide by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. To see the toolkit for the event, go to http://tinyurl.com/l5grz.

The mood we wish to create:

--open
--respectful
--relaxed
--non-theatrical (important)
--non-partisan
--educational
--unfussy (there will be a minimal introduction and no grand speeches)
--embracing diversity
--patient, even meditative, listening (the Constitution makes really dry reading, though its overall effect can be inspirational)

How many people will attend? At the very least, one hundred! We are working with UWeek and the Daily, and spreading the word through departmental listservs.

Want to listen to a reading? We recommend a famous reading by David Currie, one of today's foremost Constitutional scholars, available for download at http://www.law.uchicago.edu/constitution/index.html (50 minutes, total duration).


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Last modified: Monday October 01, 2007