SKOWHEGAN — With the selection of Skowhegan’s Free Public Library as one of 40 libraries nationwide to participate in a special reading program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanitites, adult literacy students from the area will participate in a free reading and discussion series during April.

The National Connections Project was organized by the Vermont Council on the Humanities and will give local literacy students the unique opportunity to participate in humanities programming.

Mary Turbyne, librarian at the Bloomfield Elementary School in Skowhegan, is leading a coalition that consists of the Skowhegan Library, the state humanities council, a local literacy organization and program scholar, David Richards, assistant director of the Margaret Chase Smith Library.

Bill Laney, director of the Somerset County Basic Skills Program, said Wednesday that the Skowhegan Library is one of 40 libraries across the country to offer the program.

“National Connections is designed to give adult literacy students an opportunity to gather with their peers to discuss timeless themes and make connections, sometimes for the first time, between books and their own lives,” Laney said.

Turbyne said everyone is very excited about the program.

“Public libraries have long been places where adult students can learn and practice new skills,” she said. “This project offers a unique opportunity for the library to expand the opportunities for adult learners and make a significant contribution to a more literate nation.”

The Skowhegan “Connections” program will focus on children’s literature based on “The Legends of King Arthur.” A second series, “Biography,” will be held next fall.

Laney said 15 students will be recruited, and transportation will be provided. The group will meet four times between April and June. Each 90-minute session will involve a guided discussion of the books, which the students have read in advance. The books are provided free of charge, and literacy participants keep them for their personal libraries.

The “Connections” program was founded in Vermont in 1986 and has enrolled more than 10,000 readers.

For more information, contact Laney at 474-7553.