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October 13, 1999
Contact: Guy Lamolinara (202) 707-9217

Massachusetts Center for the Book Approved

The Library of Congress has approved a proposal for a Massachusetts Center for the Book that will be affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. "We're delighted to welcome Massachusetts to our growing network of affiliated state centers," said John Y. Cole, director of the national center.

A collaborative effort among six Massachusetts organizations, the new center will be located at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of the members of the Massachusetts Center for the Book's Board of Governors. The other members are the American Antiquarian Society, the Boston Public Library, Five Colleges Inc. (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges, along with the University of Massachusetts Amherst), the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.

"It's been a complicated process and taken a few years, but we are delighted that Massachusetts finally has a Center for the Book," said Margo Crist, director of libraries for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who has represented that host institution in recent planning efforts. "The unique partnership we have formed will give a real boost to all aspects of the book in Massachusetts. We will work with organizations and individuals throughout the commonwealth to stimulate widespread interest in books, authorship, publishing, reading, libraries and literacy and to encourage the study of the history, art and future of books."

The new Massachusetts Center for the Book is being celebrated on Oct. 15 at a reception in Washington at the Library of Congress. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. A series of launching celebrations will follow at various locations throughout Massachusetts.

For information about the Massachusetts Center for the Book, contact Margo Crist, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003-4710; telephone: (413) 545-0284, fax: (413) 545-6873.

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PR 99-153
10/13/99
ISSN 0731-3527