The Center for the Book's popular "Read More About It" lists of suggested books, popular with television viewers for more than a decade (see LC Information Bulletin, December 1998), can now be found on the Library's Web site (www.loc.gov) on the American Memory "Learning Page."
Nearly 50 "Read More About It" lists illuminate topics covered by American Memory's digitized collections.
"Suggested books about baseball, for example, accompany the digitized collection of 2,100 early baseball cards from the years 1887-1914," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "Our message on the Web is the same as on television: If your curiosity about a subject has been whetted, go to your local library or bookstore to find books about that subject. Use books to open up new worlds. There are books on every topic. With books you can proceed at your own pace to inform yourself quickly or spend a lifetime becoming an expert."
The "Read More About It" lists are selective. Each normally includes 8 to 10 items, divided between books "of general interest" and those "especially for younger readers." The lists are compiled by Mr. Cole, with assistance from Center for the Book program specialist Anne Boni and Library specialists as needed. Books for younger readers are suggested by Center for the Book volunteer Vera K. Stover, a school library media specialist from South Carolina.
Lists are available for each American Memory Collection. A complete collection list can be found at memory.loc.gov/learn/collections/book/cntrbook.html. A link to the "Read More About It" lists is also available on the Center for the Book's home page (www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook).
In addition to the "Read More About It" book lists, the Center for the Book's home page on the Library of Congress Web site includes a variety of entries that augment the Center's mission as a clearinghouse and directory for organizations, projects and events that stimulate public interest in books, reading and libraries. "In addition, there are hyperlinks to the home pages of most of the 200 organizations listed on our site and to all of the affiliated state centers that have home pages, a number that has climbed to 26," said Center for the Book Program Officer Maurvene D. Williams, who is responsible for managing the center's site. "We average approximately 800 visitors a day," she said.
"We have learned that our American Memory collections draw users back to books," said Dr. Billington. "These primary sources encourage students and lifelong learners to explore in depth the images relating to the topics on our Web site."
CFB on BookTV: Two Center for the Book programs will be featured on C-SPAN2's BookTV on the weekend of May 1-2. On May 1, the "Young People's Poetry Week" program held in the Coolidge Auditorium on April 7 will be telecast at 3 p.m. The next day, at 6 p.m., BookTV will feature the center's March 22 "Books & Beyond" talk: Jerome Loving discussing his new biography, Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself.
