"Books Give Us Wings," "Shape Your Future -- READ!," and "Readers are Leaders," three key Center for the Book slogans, popped up everywhere -- in discussions, on T-shirts, on posters, at receptions -- on May 8 and 9, when representatives from state centers for the book convened at the Library for their annual meeting.
"Your work is of vital importance," Dr. Billington told the state centers and other book, literacy and library advocates in a toast to the 30 state center directors and representatives from the 121 organizations that form the Center for the Book's national reading promotion network.
A highlight was the announcement that Wyoming had just been approved as the 30th state center (see May 29 LC Information Bulletin ).
Many of the 150 people at the May 8 reception also were in Washington for Library Legislative Day events the following day. Special guests included officers and staff members of the American Library Association, represented by Vice President/President-elect Betty Turock, who extended the association's greetings. Also in attendance were state librarians, members and staff from the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and members of the White House Conference on Libraries and Information Services Task Force.
Dr. Billington also praised the LC Center for the Book, congratulating Librarian of Congress Emeritus Daniel J. Boorstin on his foresight in creating it and current staff members on their many successes. He pointed out that, using private funds raised to support its projects, the center is "now in its 18th year of encouraging appreciation of the values of reading, libraries and book culture. What's more, it hasn't stopped long enough to celebrate even one of those anniversaries."
"This annual meeting and idea exchange belongs to the state center coordinators," said John Y. Cole, director of the LC center. "They told us two years ago that they were hearing too much from LC and not enough from each other, so we changed the format and put them in charge."
After hearing briefly from Dr. Cole on the future of the Center for the Book and from Program Officer Maurvene Williams on the health of the state centers, the coordinators and others, including several state librarians, took over.
Principal discussion topics and speakers included: membership structure and advisory boards -- Kimberly Taylor (Colorado), Ann Hamilton (Oklahoma) and Bonnie Lambert (Montana); creating and strengthening state centers -- Tom Jaques (Louisiana), Helen Meadors Maul and Linn Rounds (Wyoming), Jim Johnson (South Carolina), Ramiro Salazar (Texas), Arlene Bansall (Arizona) and Jim Nelson (Kentucky); and fund raising -- Jean Trebbi (Florida), Mary Treacy (Minnesota) and Susan Marchant (Kansas).
Discussion topics also included exhibits -- Jan Moltzan (Texas) and Vickie Lockhart (California); book discussion projects -- Sally Anderson (Vermont) and Frannie Ashburn (North Carolina); book arts projects -- Anna Kirkwood (Michigan); and partnership projects among libraries, Head Start and other community organizations -- Ellen Fader (Oregon), Chrystal Jeter (Alaska), Wendy Martin (Vermont) and Lynda Amyx (Virginia).
Other discussion topics were books and new technologies -- Ross Corson (Minnesota); literary heritage and other writers' projects -- Madeline Matson (Missouri), Kelly Scott Reed (Kentucky) and Erik Sakariassen (North Dakota); essay contests -- Mike Lucas (Ohio), Diane Aull (North Dakota) and Bev Bagan (Virginia); and book collecting -- Toby Holtzman (Michigan).
Three brief lunchtime presentations focused on current topics of special interest to the Center for the Book. Michael Thompson of the LC Center described the center's partnership program with national civic and educational organizations, through which 121 National Reading Promotion Partners provided guidance in using the center's national reading promotion theme.
Caroline Marshall sketched a new Center for the Book effort to sponsor "The Sound of Writing," a weekly 30-minute National Public Radio program that features short stories from talented writers, both known and unknown. She and Dr. Cole explained how the Center for the Book hopes to expand the program's national audience and involve as many as eight of the state centers in the project during the next two years. "Radio, reading and the imagination go together," Dr. Cole said.
Virginia Mathews outlined the dimensions of the center's very successful "Library-Head Start-Museum" partnership project, which for the past three years has relied on state centers to host state and regional workshops throughout the country.
Other highlights on May 8 included a discussion of LC traveling exhibitions and the "LC Corner" display produced by Social Issues Resources Series Inc.; and a tour of the Jefferson Building led by Dr. Cole, author of LC's recent book on the inscriptions and quotations in the three LC buildings.
On May 9 the emphasis was on the Center for the Book's "Readers Are Leaders" promotion theme, which, since 1987, has been cosponsored with the Department of Education. The project focuses on reading promotion efforts that involve high school-age students. Background information on May 9 was provided by Robert Klassen, acting director of Library Programs at the Department of Education, and staff member Chris Dunn.
Four presentations from representatives of organizations currently serving as Center for the Book reading promotion partners suggested ways that state centers could become involved. The presenters were: J. Warren Young, publisher of Boy's Life for the Boy Scouts of America; Lynda Zionts, director of Literacy Education for Thomson Newspapers Corporation; Stephen R. Mullen, national program leader for the 4-H Youth Development Program of the Extension Service of the Agriculture Department; and James Wendorf, program director of Reading Is Fundamental Inc.
The challenge to both state centers and reading promotion partners, Dr. Cole explained, was to find ways they could come together in local projects that stimulated reading among high school age students.
