July 17, 1996

Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189

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"Books Change Lives" Report Available From The Center For The Book

What difference can one book make in an individual life? How were books and reading promoted across the United States during the Center for the Book's 1993-1994 "Books Change Lives" national reading promotion campaign? What good book and reading promotion ideas can be adapted for use in any community?

Books Change Lives: A Report on a National Reading Promotion Campaign, an illustrated 75-page book recently published by the Library of Congress, addresses these questions. It also provides hundreds of examples of projects that promote books, reading, and libraries. Compiled by Center for the Book consultant Michael Thompson, the volume is edited and contains an introduction by John Y. Cole, the center's director. Single copies of Books Change Lives are available without cost from the Center for the Book, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540-4920.

"This rich book is filled with promotion ideas from several different perspectives," said Dr. Cole. "The beautiful `Reading Butterfly' poster by Leo and Diane Dillon, which was commissioned for our campaign by the American Library Association, is inspirational. The essays and letters from winners of contests cosponsored with Weekly Reader Corporation's Read magazine, Phi Beta Kappa's North Texas chapter, and the Correctional Educational Association are poignant and often thought-provoking. And the rest of the book is filled with practical ideas and information that can be used again and again."

Most of the national and state events described in Books Change Lives were sponsored by the Center for the Book's 30 affiliated state centers and 100 national, civic, and educational organizational partners. Special sections in the book describe publicity, publications, and posters produced as part of the campaign. Appendices include lists of books mentioned throughout the volume; a list of 30 books for young readers compiled by the American Library Association to celebrate the "Books Change Lives" campaign; a list of "25 Books That Have Shaped Readers' Lives" from the Center for the Book; and a list of the Center for the Book's affiliated state centers and organizational reading promotion partners.

For information about the Center for the Book and its activities, write or call the Center for the Book, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540-4920, telephone (202) 707-5221. The Center for the Book address on the World Wide Web is http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook.

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PR 96-106
7/17/96
ISSN 0731-3527