Other Library of Congress National Book Festivals
Related Resources at the Library
The Library of Congress 2003 National Book Festival
The third annual National Book Festival was held on October 4, 2003 on the National Mall between 7th and 14th streets. As the event has grown in popularity, the venue has changed to accommodate the ever larger crowds of book lovers.
This festival featured more than 80 award-winning and nationally known authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers. More than 70,000 book attended meet their favorite writers and storytellers plus the popular PBS KIDS characters from children's books and television.
The 2003 National Book Festival Web site describes the day's activities, programs and sponsors. Biographies of the authors, illustrators, storytellers and poets are available, and they provide information about each participant's works - and books you may want to read in the future.
View the 2003 National Book Festival poster.
Special Thanks
Junior League of Washington
The Junior League of Washington is a nonprofit organization of more than 2,300 women who provide more than 100,000 volunteer hours to the Washington, D.C., community each year. The League's purpose is exclusively educational and charitable and is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. In its 90-year history, this dedicated group has raised more than $4.6 million for community programs in the greater Washington, D.C., area and has been a vibrant force in the lives of the women and children within the region. Beginning in 1999, the Junior League of Washington has placed a special emphasis on literacy efforts in the Washington region in terms of both volunteer and fund-raising efforts. In this spirit, more than 300 members of the Junior League of Washington will volunteer in a variety of roles during the fourth annual National Book Festival.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
IMLS is an independent federal agency that supports all types of museums and all types of libraries and archives. It began providing financial support for the National Book Festival's Pavilion of the States at the 2002 National Book Festival through grants to state library agencies. It has generously continued that support for the 2003 Festival.
Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA)
COSLA is an independent organization of the chief officers of state and territorial agencies designated as the state library administrative agency and responsible for statewide library development. For the 2003 National Book Festival, COSLA administered the IMLS grant support for the Pavilion of the States and cooperated with the Library of Congress in developing the pavilion's map activity brochure.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
NEH promotes excellence in the humanities by providing grants in four areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources; education; research; and public programs. NEH is supporting the 2003 National Book Festival through grants to state humanities councils that host centers for the book affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and a grant to support the Center for the Book's Festival-related reading promotion activities.