March 3, 2002 New York Center for the Book Approved

The Library of Congress has approved a proposal for the establishment of a New York Center for Books and Reading that will be affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The home of the New York center will be the E.S. Bird Library, Syracuse University.

"This is a welcome development," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "We're very pleased that the right combination of people and institutions has come together to make this happen."

"The New York Center for Books and Reading will promote books and reading throughout the state," said Director Dierdre C. Stam. "The Onondaga County Public Library, various Syracuse University schools, and Laubach Literacy International will be major resources in the Syracuse area, and Columbia University Library and Syracuse University's Lubin House will give us a base in New York City. Other institutions represented on the planning committee, which began meeting in the summer of 2001, include Cornell University, the University of Rochester, and the New York State Library."

Dr. Stam has wide experience in libraries and computer networks and in working with art museums and other cultural institutions. She was library director at Drew University in 1997-1999 and has taught at library schools at Catholic University, Syracuse University and Columbia University. She has a Ph.D. in Library Services from Columbia University and degrees from Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Catholic University, and New York University.

The New York Center for Books and Reading will focus first on publicizing and supporting activities of other organizations and second on initiating direct programming where the need exists.

For information about the New York Center for Books and Reading, contact Dierdre C. Stam, E. S. Bird Library, Syracuse University, 221 Waverly Ave., Syracuse, NY 13244, telephone (315) 443-2598, e-mail: dcstam@aol.com. The center's Web site is http://library.syr.edu/nybook/.

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. For information about its programs, publications, and the activities of its affiliated centers for the book, visit its Web site at www.loc.gov/cfbook.