The Library of Congress has approved a proposal for a Tennessee Center for the Book that will be affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. It will be located at the Tennessee Humanities Council in Nashville.
The new Tennessee Center's major project will be the annual "Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Printed Word," already one of the most successful book fairs in the United States.
"This is a wonderful development," said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. "The links with book organizations already established by the Humanities Council through its sponsorship of the Southern Festival of Books will give the new Tennessee Center for the Book a solid statewide base."
The mission of the Tennessee Center for the Book is "to promote the celebration of the written word in Tennessee and among Tennesseans; to provide educational programs in reading and writing for Tennesseans; and to strengthen the community of the book in Tennessee." Created with the full support of the Tennessee State Library and Archives, the new center will have a statewide advisory board that will include writers, civic leaders, educators, journalists, librarians, booksellers and publishers. Donna Tauscher, the Tennessee Humanities Council's Public Information and Development Officer, will serve as coordinator.
The eighth annual Southern Festival of Books will be held in Nashville at the War Memorial Plaza on Oct. 11, 12 and 13, 1996. The festival, which is designed "to promote reading, writing, the literary arts and a broader understanding of the language and culture of the South," is free and open to the public. More than 25,000 people attended in 1995.
In addition to author appearances, panel discussions, exhibit booths, readings and performances by drama groups, musicians and others, the festival sponsors a comprehensive children's program that sends local writers, poets, songwriters and storytellers into public and private schools during the week of the festival.
For information about the Tennessee Center for the Book and the Southern Festival of Books, contact Donna Tauscher, Tennessee Humanities Council, 1003 18th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37212, telephone (615) 320-7001, fax (615) 321-4586.
Center for the Book Homepage Established. Information about the Center for the Book, its activities and the projects of several of its affiliated state centers is now available on the Library's World Wide Web site on the Internet. The Center for the Book's homepage features an overview of the center's purpose and projects; biweekly news from the center provided through a link to the LC Information Bulletin; a list of the center's publications, with information about how they may be obtained; addresses of affiliated state centers and the links to the homepages of the state centers in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota and Missouri; a brochure describing "Shape Your Future-READ!," the center's 1995-1996 national reading promotion theme; and "Is There a Community of the Book?," the introductory essay in the center's publication The Community of the Book: A Directory of Organizations and Programs (1993).
The center's homepage was created by Program Officer Maurvene D. Williams, with assistance from Nancy De Sa, Network Development and MARC Standards Office.
The Center for the Book's pages are available through the Library of Congress's LC Web service (//www.loc.gov), under the General Information and Publications menu. The direct address for the center's home page is //www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/.
April 23 is "World Book and Copyright Day." The General Conference of UNESCO has proclaimed April 23 as the annual "World Book and Copyright Day." According to UNESCO, the celebration is intended to draw attention to the book, which, "despite the emergence of increasingly sophisticated audiovisual means of communication, remains the basis of active education and critical thought. It will also recall the role of books and copyright in upholding spiritual traditions as instruments in the transmission of fundamental ideas for a culture of peace, tolerance and dialogue."
For further information, write or call the Center for the Book, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540, telephone (202) 707-5221.
National Newspaper Association Convenes at Library. On March 21, more than 40 members of Congress attended a luncheon at the Library that was sponsored by the National Newspaper Association and its National Newspaper Foundation, one of the Center for the Book's national reading promotion partners.
Dr. Billington and Daniel P. Mulhollan, director of the Congressional Research Service, greeted the members and their staffs. Dr. Billington presented remarks about the Library's current activities, including the National Digital Library program and the Center for the Book.
Center for the Book Represented at PLA. Program Officer Maurvene D. Williams represented the Center for the Book on March 26-29 in Portland, Ore., at the sixth National Conference of the Public Library Association (PLA). The center shared an exhibit booth with Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA), one of the center's national reading promotion partners.
Colorado Center to Buy Historic House. The Colorado Center for the Book has reached an agreement with Historic Denver to purchase the Thomas Hornsby Ferril House. Ferril (1896-1988), Colorado's poet laureate, was nationally known for his poetry describing the Western experience; he also wrote the poem that accompanies the eight large murals on the first floor of the Colorado State Capitol.
The center is launching a capital campaign to raise $250,000 to purchase the Ferril House, provide for interior renovations and to develop programs that will celebrate Colorado's literary heritage. Specific goals are: to celebrate the life and art of Thomas Hornsby Ferril by opening his home for use by a variety of groups, including Colorado's book community; to present literary programs through readings, performances and exhibits; to develop a "Writer's Resource Library;" and to create a "bed and breakfast" for touring authors.
In other news, the Colorado Center for the Book has announced a new collaborative effort that will expand the effectiveness of "Readin' Round the Rockies," the 1996 Summer Reading Program, which is sponsored by TRW.
The center will use the "Readin' Round the Rockies" theme and promotional materials to increase awareness of "The Real West," an exhibition opening this spring under the joint sponsorship of the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Public Library and the Colorado History Museum. Also, the fourth annual Rocky Mountain Book Festival will be held at Currigan Exhibition Hall in Denver on Oct. 5-6, 1996. It is free and open to the public.
A new feature will be Biblio Arcade, a 3,000-square-foot carpeted space in the middle of the festival that will include a reading lounge, BiblioTherapy, a Book Clubs Club, a Read Aloud Corner and other activities that focus on the joy of reading.
Finally, the first Denver International Children's Book Festival will be held at Currigan Exhibition Hall on April 25-26, 1997.
Bea Romer, first lady of Colorado, and Denver Bronco Reggie Rivers are the honorary chairs of the Colorado Center for the Book's 1996 Board of Directors; 19 other people from throughout the state serve as directors. The center now has a staff of three.
For information about the Colorado Center for the Book and its activities, contact Kimberly Taylor, executive director, P.O. Box 360, Denver, CO 80201, telephone (303) 273-5934, fax (303) 273-5935 or e-mail: 103116. 1537@compuserv. com. The center's home page address is: http://www.coloradocenterforthebook.org/.
