Every week for 1 1/2 hours at libraries in 22 Louisiana communities, at-risk children and their parents discover how much fun reading can be. For 8 weeks, a local storyteller, a humanities scholar and community residents who are recruited through social service agencies, compensatory education programs and the like come together at a library in one of LouisianaÌs parishes to read, tell stories and discuss the issues raised in the books they have read. The program is designed to reach an audience that is not already part of the humanities community and to foster a life-long love of learning through reading. Anywhere from 25 to 40 parents and children meet once a week for 90 minutes for 8 weeks. At each session, the storyteller acts out a childrenÌs story, and the scholar leads a discussion of issues that are raised in the story. Parents and children have the opportunity to talk about values in an environment that is respectful and self-affirming. The parents then take the books home and read them aloud to their children during the week. "People in the program come to it not liking to read," explains Kathryn Mettelka, associate director of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. "Often they have agreed to come because their children 'forced' them to. Parents will do things for their kids that they will not do for themselves. When these parents leave the program, families like to read together." Every family is given a library card when they enroll, and during the 8 weeks, the librarians familiarize participants with the libraryÌs resources. Through the efforts of librarians, program volunteers and staff, a community reading network is being established for people who had neither access to, nor interest in, libraries before. To ensure that the program is engaging, an advisory panel made up of librarians and scholars chooses quality books for the program from a variety of cultures and establishes the syllabus. The participating humanities scholars generate thoughtful discussion among people who are not accustomed to speaking about cultural issues raised in literature. "There is a demand for this type of program, in which the participants are active in their education--not just being lectured to. Many of our scholars say it was the most valuable teaching experience they have ever had," remarks Mettelka. The public library in Baton Rouge has followed the families who have participated in Prime Time Family Reading Time since 1991. While many families were receiving welfare when the program started, none are today, and none of the children have been held back in school.