On May 8 Dr. Billington announced that a proposal for a Wyoming Center for the Book had been approved.
Statewide in spirit and mission, the center's headquarters will be at the Wyoming State Library, which will contribute the services of a coordinator, office space and clerical help as well as publications support.
"We are thrilled and look forward to spreading the Center for the Book's positive message on behalf of reading, books and libraries throughout this magnificent state," said State Librarian Helen Meadors Maul.
The Wyoming Arts Council and many other organizations throughout the state will work closely with the new organization. Sen. Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.) will serve as an honorary member of the advisory board, which thus far includes writers, librarians, booksellers, publishers, historians, newspaper editors, humanities scholars and book lovers and readres from Buffalo, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Evanston, Gillette, Laramie, Sundance and Torrington.
The Mission of the Wyoming Center for the Book is to:
- Preserve, publicize and celebrate Wyoming's literary heritage
- Promote reading and literacy among Wyoming's residents
- Recognize the contributions of the state's authors, editors, publishers and others involved in the book arts an din the intellectual and artistic heritage of Wyoming
- Emphasize the importance of words and ideas, as represented in books, to Wyoming citizens.
Plans for the Wyoming Center for the Book crystallized on Jan. 6, 1995, with an interactive, statewide video conference in which 115 people in 11 cities and towns participated. Ms. Maul and John Coe, executive director of the Wyoming Arts Council, maderated the two-hour session.
For information about the Wyoming Center for the Book, write or call Linn Rounds, Public Programs, Wyoming State Library, 2301 Capitol Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82002, telephone (307) 777-5915.
Colorado Announces Rocky Mountain Book Festival, "Read the Rockies," and "Take Me Out to the Bookgame!"
The third annual Rocky Mountain Book Festival, a project of the Colorado Center for the Book, will be held Oct. 13-14 at Currigan Exhibition Hall in Deveer. More than 200 authors and 200 exhibitors will participate, and attendance is expected to exceed last year's record 42,000.
Many of the popular features from last year's festival will return, including programming for schoolchildren, cooking demonstrations, a literary chautauqua, book arts projects, children's performers, costumed characters from books, panel discussions, a celebrity book auction, author presenationsand promotions and a "BiblioTHerapy Booth," where "people from the book community listen to other people's reading ruts and help them explore new worlds."
"Read the Rockies" is a campaign to document that Coloradans can read 3 million books in six months. Ir began during National Library Week, April 9-15, and will conclude on OCt. 10, 1995, or "Take Ten Day," when everyone stops what they are doing at 10 a.m. for 10 minutes to read.
"Read the Rockies" is sponsored by the Colorado Center for the Book, the Colorado State Library, the Rocky Mountain News, the Tattered Cover Bookstore, Libraries Unlimited, the Denver Public Library, Aurora Public Library, the Colorado Library Association, and the Colorado Media Association.
"Take Me Out to the Bookgame!" is this year's theme for the Colorado Center for the Book's summer reading program. Artist Maria Asheim's art marries two favorite American pasttimes--books and baseball. Each year, the Colorado Center for the Book works with an advisory committee of librarians who develop the theme, which is desgined to keep children reading books during their summer vacation. The artwork and promotional materials are purchased by libraries.
The Rocky Mountain News, the Colorado State Library and KCNC-TV in Denver are major supporters of the Colorado Center for the Book. For information about the center and its activities, write or call the Colorado Center for the Book, 1301 Arapahoe St., Suite 3, Golden, CO 80401, telephone (303) 273-5933, fax (303) 273-5935.
Vermont Receives NEH Grant
The Vermont Center for the Book, headquartered in Chester, recently received a grant of $230,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for its project "A Conversation About the Search for American Identity," a series of 28 book-discussion programs designed to help Vermonters examine modern American culture. Partial funding will be provided by the Vermont Council on the Humanities.
"This is the Vermont Center for the Book's response to NEH's call for projects that contribute to a 'National Conversation about American Pluralism,'" said Sally Anderson, the Vermont center's director. "Over the past 10 years, we've brought thousands of Vermonters together to talk about books, and our experiences tell us there's no better way to get people to talk seriously about difficult topics than by giving them a good book to read and a good scholar to facilitate their talk."
For information, write or call the Vermont Center for the Book, P.O. Box 441, Chester, VT 05143, telephone (802) 875-2751, fax (802) 875-2790.
Illinois Honors Its Authors
Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole presented opening remarks on May 5 at the Illinois Authors' Luncheon at the annual meeting of the Illinois Library Association in Peoria. He described the literary heritage activities of the Illinois Center for the Book and announced the center's forthcoming Illinois authors' dinner and book fair, which will be held in Springfield on Nov. 17-18.
For information, contact the Illinois Center for the Book, Illinois State Library, Springfield, IL 62705-0728, telephone (217) 782-0974.
Minnesota Book Awards and Minnesota Publishers Week
Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole was a speaker on April 8 at the seventh annual Minnesota Book Awards, a program of the Minnesota Center for the Book. More than 300 people attended the ceremony, which was held at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Awards were presented in ten different categories. During the ceremony, readings were presented by Minnesota authors Emma Bull, Jack Weatherford and Catherine Friend. Other sponsors of the Minnesota Book Awards are: Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, the Hungry Mind Bookstore, Library Development & Services, the Minnesota Department of Education, Metronet, Minneapolis Public Library, Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota Literature, Northern Lights and Insights, Spotlight on Books and the University of St. Thomas and its English Department. The Minnesota Book Awards were presented during Minnesota Publishers Week, a project of the Minnesota Center for the Book/Metronet and the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development.
"Wordstreams: Minnesota's Center for the Book" combines the energies of writers and creators, publishers, booksellers, librarians and readers in support of the power of books and reading. Its purposes are:
- To share the joy of books, reading and the printed word with all Minnesotans
- To promote the creative work of Minnesota writers, publishers, librarians and all who contribute to the dynamic world of the printed word
- To link the energies of Minnesota book lovers with the work of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Its activities focus on audience development, advocacy and networking and technical assistance.
For information, write or call the center at Suite 116, 2324 University Ave. West, St. Paul, MN 55114, telephone (612)646-0425, fax (612) 646-0657.
