Each spring the Center for the Book hosts "idea exchanges" for members of its two principal national partnership networks. The national nonprofit organizations that form the "national reading promotion partners" network met at the Library in March 13 (see the Information Bulletin for May 2003), and the state center affiliates held their annual session on May 12.
John Cole and Ruth Boorstin (right) present the Boorstin "Community Togetherness" Award to New Mexico's Flo Truillo and Gail Schuler. - Maurvene Williams
Highlights of the May state center meeting, the first since the network reached 50 state members (plus the District of Columbia) at the end of 2002, were: recognition of the six new statewide centers—New York, Iowa, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Hampshire; the honoring of the New Mexico Center for the Book for its statewide achievements; a discussion about the role of state centers in the Pavilion of the States at this fall's National Book Festival; discussion about new directions for two major Center for the Book programs, Letters about Literature and the Center for the Book/Viburnum Foundation Family Literacy Project; a tribute to Librarian of Congress Emeritus Daniel J. Boorstin and his wife Ruth for creating the Center for the Book in 1977; and, to celebrate his 25 years as the center's first (and only) director, a "surprise" presentation to John Y. Cole of a poem by Billy Collins.
To mark their 61st wedding anniversary in 2002, Dan and Ruth Boorstin gave the Center for the Book a gift of $6,100 to be presented to a state center that demonstrated unusual success in involving different parts of the community in its reading and literacy promotion programs.
Cole, joined by Ruth Boorstin, presented Gail Schuler and Flo Trujillo, both representing the New Mexico Center for the Book, with the first Boorstin "Community Togetherness" Award.
"The New Mexico Center has brought national outreach projects such as Letters About Literature and River of Words to small towns and communities throughout the state since 1996," said Cole in making the award. "In addition, the award recognizes the center's work with the 10 small New Mexico public libraries that have received Center for the Book/Viburnum Foundation Family Literacy Awards since 1998, as well as its role in hosting project workshops in 1998 and 2001. Finally, we are honoring the driving force behind the center's early activities, its founder and coordinator, Marsie Cate."
Background, the "Beyond Words" photo exhibit on display in the Center for the Book office; inset left, "Inquiring Minds," by Kirsten Baker, Grand Prize winner in the 1999 Beyond Words photo contest; right, Connecticut coordinator Kat Lyons joins Oklahoma coordinator Glenda Carlile in the Center for the Book office. - Maurvene Williams
Cole was completely surprised at the end of the meeting when Florida Center for the Book coordinator Jean Trebbi presented him with a letterpress edition of the poem "Voyage," which was dedicated to him by Poet Laureate Billy Collins.
A gift from the fifty state centers for the book, the poem was printed in Alabama by Steve Miller in Bembo type, on oversized paper handmade by Frank Brannon. One hundred copies were struck; and a copy was sent to each state center after the presentation.
