December 5, 2002 New Hampshire Approved as the 50th State Center Affiliate

The Library of Congress has approved a proposal from the New Hampshire State Library for the establishment of a New Hampshire Center for the Book that will be affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

"This is a significant achievement to have all 50 states in formal partnership with the Library of Congress in promoting books, reading, and the power of knowledge in a democracy," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "We look forward to the participation of all the state centers in our Third National Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2003, in Washington, D.C."

"We're delighted to be able to approve our 50th state affiliate during our 25th anniversary year," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. 'The Center for the Book was established in 1977, but the first state center was not approved until 1984. In 2002, we have approved proposals from six states: New York, Iowa, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware, and New Hampshire." State centers provide their own funding and apply for the renewal of their affiliation every three years.

"New Hampshire is proud to join the state center network," said State Librarian Michael York. "Our positive involvement in the Pavilion of the States at the second National Book Festival helped us make the decision to apply." Katie McDonough, the State Library's organizer of the New Hampshire table, put together a brochure for distribution titled "Live Free and Read:Reading Programs for All Ages in the Granite State" that demonstrated the range of activities already underway but in need of publicity and some degree of coordination.

The New Hampshire Center for the Book will serve as an umbrella and clearinghouse for the activities of New Hampshire's active community of the book, initially focusing on coordinating, promoting, and expanding existing programs. Plans will be developed for the creation and development of a centralized Web site for those interested in books, reading, and libraries in New Hampshire; for an interactive, online "Literary Map of New Hampshire," also to be produced in a print version; for a Bookchat Listserv; and for a Franco-American Book Festival, to be developed in cooperation with the American Canadian Cultural Exchange Commission.

For information, contact Katie McDonough, Library Development Services Section, New Hampshire State Library, telephone (603) 271-8520 or (800) 499-1232, ext. 4, and e-mail: kmcdonough@library.state.nh.us.

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 states affiliates, visit its Web site at www.loc.gov/cfbook.