Pleased with the creation of the new Delaware Center for the Book are Delaware State Librarian Anne E. C. Norman (center), senior librarian Patty Langley (left) and Kathy Graybeal, administrative librarian.
In 2002, the Library of Congress approved the establishment of six new statewide centers for the book for affiliation with its national Center for the Book: New York, Iowa, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Hampshire. As a result, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in its 25th anniversary year, accomplished one of its major goals—the development of a national reading promotion network through affiliated centers representing each of the 50 states. A District of Columbia Center for the Book became part of the national center's reading promotion network in 2000.
In announcing New Hampshire's approval, Librarian of Congress James Billington said: "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. 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."
Recently Approved State Centers
The South Dakota Humanities Council is the host of the new South Dakota Center for the Book. Its application was approved in May 2002. The new center is developing an independent Web site, implementing a pilot "Prime Time Family Reading Program," and has started promoting South Dakota's "community of the book" through the humanities council's speaker's bureau. Future projects will include a state literary map, workshops for aspiring writers, book and publishing arts programs, and a statewide clearinghouse, via its Web site, for book, reading, and literacy programs.
The Providence Public Library is the home of the Rhode Island Center for the Book, which was approved in September. The center's purpose is "to celebrate, honor, and promote interest in books, reading, and the literary and book arts culture and heritage of the state of Rhode Island." It will help support "Reading Across Rhode Island," for which the Providence Public Library is the lead state agency. Other projects will include the application and extension of continuing national Center for the Book projects and themes such as "Telling America's Stories," "Letters About Literature," and "River of Words," as well as "Mother Goose Asks Why," the national project sponsored by the Vermont Center for the Book.
The Delaware Center for the Book, hosted by the Delaware Division of Libraries/State Library, was also approved last September. It has become one of the sponsors of Delaware Reads, a statewide reading initiative, and supports programs such as the Delaware Blue Hen Award for Children's Literature, the Summer Library Reading Program and the Delaware celebration of International Literacy Day.
The New Hampshire Center for the Book, approved in December, is located at the New Hampshire State Library in Concord. The new center will serve as an umbrella and clearinghouse for the activities of New Hampshire's community of the book, initially focusing on coordinating, promoting, and expanding existing programs. Plans are being developed for the creation and development of a centralized, statewide Web site for those interested in books, reading, literacy, and for libraries throughout the state; an interactive, online Literary Map of New Hampshire, also to be produced in a print version; a Bookchat Listserv; and in cooperation with the American Canadian Cultural Exchange Commission, a Franco-American Book Festival.
The Centers for the Book in the 50 States and the District of Columbia
[ State. Year of approval. Host institution/organization. Web site. Name of coordinator, contact information ]
Alabama. 2001. Center for the Arts & Humanities, Auburn University (www.alabamabookcenter.org). Jay Lamar, (334) 844-4947, lamarja@auburn.edu
Alaska. 1990. Independent (www.alaskacenterforthebook.org). Carol Sturgulewski, (907) 278-8838, carolben@gci.net
Arizona. 1988. Arizona Humanities Council (www.lib.az.us/azbook/). Ann-Mary Johnson, (602) 257-0335, ext. 26, amjohnson@azhumanities.org
Arkansas. 2000. Arkansas State Library (www.asl.lib.ar.us). Jane Thompson, (501) 682-5288, jthompso@asl.lib.ar.us
California. 1987. Dept. of Information Studies, University of California at Los Angeles (www.calbook.org). Natalie Cole, (310) 206-2464, nacole@ucla.edu
Colorado. 1988. Independent (www.coloradocenterforthebook.org/). Christiane H. Citron, (303) 839-8324, ccftb@compuserve.com
Connecticut. 1997. Hartford Public Library. (www.hartfordpl.lib.ct.us/cfb.htm). Kat Lyons, (860) 695-6320, klyons@hartfordpl.lib.ct.us
Delaware. 2002. Delaware Division of Libraries/State Library (www.state.lib.de.us). Patty Langley, (302) 739-4748 x113, plangley@lib.de.us
District of Columbia. 2000. District of Columbia Public Library (www.dclibrary.org/dccb). Patricia Pasqual, (202) 727-2313, patricia.pasqual@dc.gov
Florida. 1984. Broward County Public Library (www.floridacenterforthebook.org). Jean Trebbi, (954) 357-7404, jtrebbi@browardlibrary.org
Georgia. 1998. DeKalb County Public Library (www.dekalb.public.lib.ga.us/gcb). William Starr, (404) 370-8450 x225, starrw@dekalblibrary.org
Hawaii. 2002. Hawaii State Library (www.librarieshawaii.org/). JoAnn Schindler, (808) 586-3553, joann@lib.state.hi.us
Idaho. 1994. Boise State University (www.lili.org/icb). Tom Trusky, (208) 426-1999, ttrusky@boisestate.edu
Illinois. 1985. Illinois State Library (www.illinoiscenterforthebook.org/). Carole Gair, (217) 785-6925, cgair@ilsos.net
Indiana. 1987. Indiana State Library (www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/incb/icb.html). Robert Logsdon, (317) 232-3569, rlogsdon@statelib.lib.in.us
Iowa. 1996. State Library of Iowa (www.silo.lib.ia.us). Katherine Von Wald, (515) 281-6789, kvonwald@netins.net
Kansas. 1987. Topeka/Shawnee County Library (skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/kcfb/). Susan Marchant, (785) 580-4511, smarchant@tspcl.lib.ks.us
Kentucky. 1992. Kentucky Dept. for Libraries and Archives (www.kdla.ky.gov/). Kelly Reed, (502) 564-8300 x315, kreed@ctr.kdla.state.ky.us
Louisiana. 1994. State Library of Louisiana (www.state.lib.la.us/la_dyn_templ.cfm?doc_id=113). Rod Mills, (225) 342-9714, rmills@pelicanstate.lib.la.us
Maine. 1998. Maine Humanities Council
(www.mainehumanities.org).
Victoria Bonebakker, (207) 773-5051, vbonebak@mainehumanities.org
Maryland. 1996. Maryland Humanities Council (www.mdhc.org/programs/mdcenterforbook/index.htm). Jean Wortman, (410) 685-0095, jwortman@mdhc.org
Massachusetts. 2000. Hampshire College (www.massbook.org). Sharon Shaloo, (413) 559-5678, massbook@hampshire.edu.
Michigan. 1986. Library of Michigan (www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17445_19277_19525-55216--,00.html). Karren Reish, (517) 373-3891, kreish@libofmich.lib.mi.us
Minnesota. 1990. Minnesota Humanities Commission
(www.minnesotahumanities.org/Book/book.htm).
Mark Gleason, (651) 772-4243,
mark@minnesotahumanities.org
Mississippi. 2000. Mississippi Library Commission (www.mlc.lib.ms.us). Constance Lawson, (601) 961-4057, clawson@mlc.lib.ms.us
Missouri. 1993. Missouri State Library (books.missouri.org). Madeline Matson, (573) 751-2680, matson@sosmail.state.mo.us
Montana. 1990. Montana Committee for the Humanities (www.montanabook.org). Mark Sherouse, (406) 243-6022, sherouse@selway.umt.edu.
Nebraska. 1990. Nebraska Library Commission (www.nlc.state.ne.us). Kathy Johnson, (402) 472-2553, kjohnsoa@unlnotes.unl.edu
Nevada. 1998. Nevada Humanities Committee (www.nevadahumanities.org). Bonnie J. Buckley, (775) 786-7622, bjbuckle@yahoo.com
New Hampshire. 2002. New Hampshire State Library
(www.nh.gov/nhsl/bookcenter/index.html). Katie
McDonough, (603) 271-8520,
kmcdonough@library.state.nh.us
New Jersey. 2002. School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers University (www.njcenterforthebook.org). Renee Swartz, (732) 932-7500, ext. 8005, rswartz@shore.co.monmouth.nj.us
New Mexico. 1996. Independent (www.nmcb.org). Gail Schuler, (505) 982-4980, grschuler@yahoo.com
New York. 2002. Palmer School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University (www.newyorkbooks.org). Deirdre C. Stam, (516) 299-2866, dcstam@aol.com
North Carolina. 1992. The State Library of North Carolina (statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/ld/nccftb/cftb.htm). Frances L. Ashburn, (919) 733-2570, fashburn@library.dcr.state.nc.us
North Dakota. 1993. North Dakota State Library (ndsl.lib.state.nd.us). Dave Anderson, (701) 328-4189, dranders@state.nd.us
Ohio. 1987. State Library of Ohio (www.ohiocenterforthebook.org/). Jane Byrnes, (614) 644-6875, jbyrnes @sloma.state.oh.us
Oklahoma. 1986. Oklahoma Department of Libraries (www.odl.state.ok.us/ocb). Glenda Carlile, (405) 521-2502, gcarlile@oltn.odl.state.ok.us
Oregon. 1986. Oregon State Library (www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/aboutcenter.shtml). MaryKay Dahlgreen, (503) 378-2112 x239, marykay.dahlgreen@state.or.us
Pennsylvania. 2000. Pennsylvania State University
(www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu).
Steven Herb, (814) 865-0401, slh18@ psu.edu
Rhode Island. 2002. Providence Public Library (www.ribook.org/). Sarah Weed, (401) 455-8134, sweed@provlib.org
South Carolina. 1996. South Carolina State Library. (www.state.sc.us/scsl/lib/pba). Jane Connor, (803) 734-8658, janec@leo.scsl.state.sc.us
South Dakota. 2002. South Dakota Humanities Council
(web.sdstate.edu/humanities/CenterForTheBook).
Sherry DeBoer, (605)
688-6113, sherry_deboer@sdstate.edu
Tennessee. 1996. Humanities Tennessee
(tn-humanities.org). Serenity
Gerbman, (615)
320-7001 ext. 12, serenity@tn-humanities.org
Texas. 1987. Dallas Public Library (www.dallaslibrary.org/tcbintro.htm). Gail Bialas, (214) 670-7808, gailbialas@dallaslibrary.org
Utah. 1999. Salt Lake City Public Library (www.slcpl.lib.ut.us/details.jsp?parent_id=15&page_id=15). Chip Ward, (801) 524-8200, cward@slcpl.lib.ut.us
Vermont. 1994. Independent (www.mothergooseprograms.org/index.html). Sally Anderson, (802) 875-2751, postmaster@vermontbook.org
Virginia. 1987. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Elizabeth Grubbs, (540) 382-6469, elizabethgrubbs@hotmail.com
Washington. 1989. Seattle Public Library (www.spl.lib.wa.us/wacentbook/centbook.html). Nancy Pearl, (206) 386-4184, nancy.pearl@spl.org
West Virginia. 2001. West Virginia Library Commission (librarycommission.lib.wv.us). Karen Goff, (304) 558-3978, goffk@wvlc.lib.wv.us
Wisconsin. 1986. Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters
(www.wisconsinacademy.org/book/).
Bill Wilson, (608) 868-1133,
wilson@libraryconsultant.com
Wyoming. 1995. Wyoming State Library (www-wsl.state.wy.us/slpub/cenbook/). Linn Rounds, (307) 777-5915, lround@state.wy.us
