New England Centers for the Book: Enquiring Minds Want to Know -- Laura

This was the first real workshop I have been, today, and it is one of the best I have been to in a long time. It was the first program I have been to from the last three conferences I have attended which focused predominantly on books and it was wonderful. One of my goals, for this coming year, was working more on readers' advisory, and this workshop has given me much food for thought. The panel consisted of representatives from five New England states. (Vermont had a last minute commitment). Each of these women represented her respective state's Center for the Book. The Center for the Book (http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/) was started in 1977 and, according to its website, was established "to use the resources and prestige of the Library of Congress to promote books, reading, libraries, and literacy." In 1984, states began to create their own Centers for the Book, with the 50th state joining in 2003. Each state's Center for the Book is unique in many respects, including their affiliation level. In some cases, the Center for the Book is directly affiliated with the state library, or a large public library. In other cases, the Center for the Book is affiliated with the Maine Humanities Council. Also, each Center runs a variety of programs, some of which are distinctive to its own center.

• Kat Lyons from the Connecticut Center for the Book

The CT Center for the Book does a variety of programs, including the Connecticut Book Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award. One of its most notable programs is "World of Words" (WOW) in which public libraries choose a country to focus on for a month, and do cultural programming and read books related to that particular country. There are usually 14 public libraries across the state who do this program. There is an opening program at the state capital, in which consulates from the chosen countries participate. They also are involved in a book exchange with the libraries, giving books about their respective countries to the libraries.

• Lizz Sinclair from the Maine Humanities Council

The Maine Center for the Book is actually part of the Maine Humanities Council. Elizabeth Sinclair who works for the Maine Humanities Council, talked about a variety of the programs that the Center for the Book has to offer, including "Let's Talk About It", which are book discussion groups focused on one specific topic. The groups meet about five times. Some of the themes and their accompanying books have included American Poetry of the Second Half of the 20th Century; Across Cultures, South Asia (Passage to India, Midnight's Children); Japanese Fiction (The Waiting Years, The Setting Sun); The Gilded Age (The Devil and the White City, The Age of Innocence); Refreshing the Whodunit, Beyond Christie and Doyle (Dance Hall of the Dead); Making a Difference, How Love and Duty Change Lives (Plainsong, Mountains Beyond Mountains). The Center for the Book has also introduced a Middle East discussion group.
The Maine Center for the Book has also created a web resource for towns wanting to participate in One Book: One Community. (http://mainehumanities.org/onebook/index.html)

• Sharon Shaloo, Massachusetts Center for the Book

The MA Center for the Book is supported by a variety of private and public organizations, including the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Simmons College. The MA Center for the Book just published a Literary Map of Massachusetts which is a road map that details literary landmarks across Massachusetts. I am sorry to say that Waltham is not on there, but my hometown of North Andover had two points of interest. The MA Center for the Book also gives out the Massachusetts Book Awards, which give awards in multiple categories (fiction, nonfiction, children/YA, and poetry) to recent books that feature Massachusetts.
Sharon Shaloo also talked about a lot of the programs that the multiple Centers for the Book do for youth programming. One is the Letters about Literature Program, in which kids in grades 4-12 write letters to authors. Massachusetts is one of the top three states that participates in this program, and every year, there is a ceremony with about 50 kids at the state house. When she found out I was from Waltham, Sharon gave me several fliers about the Letters about Literature Program. Sharon also talked about the Mother Goose Asks Why program, which is also done by the Vermont Center for the Book, and mixes math and science with reading.

• Mary Russell, New Hampshire Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library

The New Hampshire Center for the Book serves as an umbrella organization to a variety of state organizations, such as the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. Some of the center's notable programs include the Ladybug Awards, in which children can vote on best picture from a list nominated by librarians, and as a site for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which is the largest literary cash prize and nominated by librarians all over the world. One program that the New Hampshire Center for the Book does that I really like is the Granite State Readers' Recommend. Residents of each town in New Hampshire go to the website and click on his or her town to see what visitors to the site recommend to read. New Hampshire residents can also post their own recommendations. What I really liked about the site is that it shows that enthusiasm about books and enthusiasm about technology do not have to be mutually exclusive.

• Debbie Barchi, Rhode Island Center for the Book

The Rhode Island Center for the Book is very much affiliated with libraries. The Center is hosted by the Providence Public Library, and the director is actually a director of a public library. The Center for the Book participates in the Read Across the Rhode Island program, which is very similar to One Book: One Community, except the entire state reads one book. (Debbie joked that if this could work in one state, it would be Rhode Island, since it's so small). There are meetings about the book, as well as appearances by the author. In addition to The Secret Life of Bees and The Kite Runner, Rhode Island also read The Memory of Running, by Ron McLarty. McLarty is a Rhode Island native who was very excited to be involved in this program. In order to involve young adults in the program, the Center for the Book conducts video conferencing in several high schools across the state.