The Hemingway Western Studies Center at Boise State University will be the home of the new Idaho Center for the Book.
In making the announcement, John Y. Cole, director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, congratulated Boise State University Professor of English Tom Trusky, who will serve as the center's director, on the successful two-year effort to develop the organizational and funding base necessary to establish the Idaho center. "Tom has enlisted 16 board members who together represent all aspects of Idaho's book community, from author to reader," Dr. Cole said. The board includes writers, artists, publishers, book sellers, librarians, archivists, educators and members of the Idaho Humanities Council and the Idaho Commission on the Arts. The state librarian will be an ex-officio member.
The purpose of the Idaho Center for the Book is "to encourage and promote an interest in reading, writing, making, disseminating and collecting books, as well as preserving and publicizing Idaho's bibliographic heritage." The center seeks "the involvement of individuals, groups, corporations and foundations that have a special interest in book making, literacy, and the intellectual and artistic heritage of Idaho as expressed in books."
Its initial projects will include the creation of a literary heritage map, "Idaho by the Book," traveling book exhibitions and the establishment of a rental library of films and videos on book arts. Also available will be films about books made into features about Idaho.
For information, write or call Tom Trusky, director, Hemingway Western Studies Center, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725. (208) 385-1999.
1994 MINNESOTA BOOK AWARDS. The Minnesota Center for the Book has issued a call for nominations, participants and sponsors for the 1994 Minnesota Book Awards.
Now in its sixth year, the awards program promotes and celebrates the contributions that Minnesota resident authors and illustrators make to the quality of life in the state. Books to be considered must have been written, illustrated, designed or edited by a Minnesota resident and have been published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 1993. The 1994 awards will be presented on April 16, 1994, at Augsburg College in Minneapolis during the opening of the "Language of the Land" traveling exhibition from the Library of Congress.
For information, write the Minnesota Center for the Book, 226 Metro Square, Seventh and Robert Streets, St. Paul, MN 55101.
"LANGUAGE OF THE LAND" EXHIBITION OPENS IN PENNSYLVANIA. A reception on Nov. 21 at the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg marked the Pennsylvania opening of the LC traveling exhibition "Language of the Land: Journeys Into Literary America." On Dec. 2 Martha Hopkins of LC's Interpretive Programs Office and exhibit director, presented a lecture about literary maps and the making of the exhibition. Her presentation and the exhibition, which will remain on view until Jan. 8, 1994, were sponsored by the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Center for the Book with support from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.
JEFFERSON COMMISSION MEETS AT THE LIBRARY. On Nov. 17 the Library of Congress hosted the second meeting of the Thomas Jefferson Commemoration Commission, created by an act of Congress on Aug. 17, 1992, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Jefferson's birth (see LC Information Bulletin, Sept. 20, 1993). Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole represented Librarian of Congress James H. Billington at the meeting, and the center hosted a luncheon in the Jefferson Building's Great Hall for commission members and special guests.
At the commission meeting, held in the Library's Rosenwald Room, chairman Merrill D. Peterson, Jefferson Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia, reported on the commission's legislative and financial status, its fund-raising efforts and its programming plans. He also distributed a new brochure, "The Thomas Jefferson Commemoration Commission, 1993- 1994," which describes the commission's purpose and five current projects:
- Jefferson and the Changing West: From Conquest to Conservation, a conference and other activities that will reassess Jefferson's contribution to the development of the American West. The conference will be hosted and cosponsored by the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis in the fall of 1994.
- Thomas Jefferson -- World Citizen, a series of symposia in which participants from around the world assess the effect of Jefferson's ideas and legacy on their own countries. Symposia have been held in Tokyo, Buenos Aires and London, and will soon take place in other world capitals, culminating at a meeting in Washington in October, 1994.
- Jefferson, the Schools and Civic Learning, a project inspired by Jefferson's conviction that education is a paramount responsibility of democratic government and thus a primary ingredient in the making of good citizens. The commission will work with existing organizations, particularly the Center for Civic Education, sponsor of the "We the People" program for high school students.
- Conversations About Jefferson, a series of 30-minute discussions about major themes or facets of Jefferson's life that is being planned for public radio.
- The Jefferson Forums, a series of public meetings, being planned for television, that will focus attention on fundamental questions of governance as America approaches the 21st century. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and Librarian of Congress Emeritus Daniel J. Boorstin were the principal speakers at the luncheon, in addition to Merrill Peterson. John Cole introduced the special guests, including Poet Laureate Rita Dove and LC staff members who had contributed to the Library's 1993 commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Jefferson's birth, including Gerald Gawalt, Manuscript Division; James Gilreath, Rare Book and Special Collections Division; Margaret Wagner, Publishing Office; and Irene Burnham, Interpretive Programs Office.
Dr. Cole also announced that the Library has received a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for a major Jefferson Building exhibition on "Jefferson, Knowledge and Democracy."
For information about the projects of the Thomas Jefferson Commemoration Commission, write the commission, P.O. Box 735, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Telephone: (804) 977-7911.
