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Literacy Landing

STORIES: the Coralville Literacy and Language Center This project will be built on a 15 acre Iowa River Landing site near the Marriot Hotel and Convention Center. Iowa Book Works has been invited to contribute to the planning process.

Literacy Landing: Visualizations from Iowa Book Works

An Amazonian rain forest will be transformed into a literacy and language center. This transformation in the attractor theme for the Iowa River Landing has engendered a whole new ecology of activities and agendas. The wide allure is learning, creative writing, creative reading experiences and adventures in the readingest town in Iowa.

Reading

This domain will feature the miraculous skills of reading and language multiplexing. Reading of all kinds will be presented including reading maps, reading music, reading the sky and the road, reading the weather, reading animal tracks, reading body language and reading your thoughts. And book reading too!

Book

This domain will feature adventures across time and cultures with a focus on the arts and history of books. A unique Museum of Reading Devices will anchora churning exposition of the electronic book and the future of the print book. This exposition will cross the formats of scroll, codex and computer screen and feature the exciting prospects of digital books. It will feature presentation and facilities in hand papermaking, calligraphy, hand book binding, letterpress printing and a living museum of the book in the pioneer mid-west. The digital technologies and delivery systems of the electronic book will be exlpored and explained.

Studio facilities of the University of Iowa Center for the Book will be located on the campus of the Literacy Landing development. Here students will pursue their projects in view of visitors. Demonstration programs interpreting historical book production and book craft skills will be provided by the UICB students.

Content

This domain will adventure into the worlds of content with virtual theaters of fantasy, fiction and science. Popular youth reading content such as the worlds of Polar Express or Harry Potter will be explored with readers' fan clubs and their communication venues. Reading environments integrating food courts and retail functions will provide a unique approach to eating and shopping. Devonian Fossil Gorge adventures will begin here.

Literary Landing Resources

(1) wide volunteer and in-kind enthusiasms, (2) digital entertainment and education industries, (3) learning foundations for educational initiatives, (4) publishing and book retailing industries, (5) craft, family history and home schooling retailers, (6) University of Iowa Center for the Book

Literacy Landing Attractor Potential

(1) I-80 family tourists will stop for a relaxing day away from the car, (2) community services for multi-language instruction, (3) identity of Coralville as the "readingest town in Iowa", (4) state of the art exposition facilities and fun retailing, (5) annual Coralville Book Week

Planning Comments

As you build it may be a good idea to focus the concept on exposition functions and keep the educational commitments lower. Kids don't want to stop a "school" during vacation and literacy, literature and language disciplines already have learning centers.

The business plan will benefit from some structure under the "Stories" theme. For most people the Stories theme will refer only to the content of books and movies. But content is only one aspect of literacy, literature and language. It is important to focus on the reader and on the reading devices as well. The reading technologies topic introduces the exciting contest between print and digital formats for reading and opens the door to corporate sponsors. A separate focus on readers brings forward a range of interactivity for the visitor and retail customer. It also opens a fascinating academic theme of the sociology and history of reading.

A three domain structure for the Stories exposition (1.content, 2.reading and 3.reading technologies) will give the visitor tour options and arrange retail courts and exhibit bays in separate environments, each with a learning agenda.

As the draft points out the exclusive attractor identity can be built from real regional assets. Many exist and many await discovery. We already mentioned the family heritage interest represented by two excellent scrapbook retailers in Coralville, but did you know that an international known facility for the production of hand papermaking is right here in Coralville on the Oakdale campus! We even have our own kozo fiber field for growing the Japanese papermaking fibers.

12/25/06/jm.gf