April 5th, 2009
One City/One Book Programs
For information on recent major announcements, click One Book Programs for stories on EarlyWord. The Center for the Book maintains a much more complete database of “One Book” programs by state and author that goes back to 2002.
For useful resources on program planning, link to the following:
One Book, One Community Resource Guides (PDF andCD) give concrete information on planning a program, even providing budget worksheets. The CD includes digital art to use for creating posters and bookmarks.
The Library Marketing Department has created a resource guide, with tips by the guru of One Book programs, Nancy Pearl and list of suggested Random House titles.
Offers helpful tools, like a sample time-line and recommended HarperCollins titles.
As “One Book” programs mature, it is important to keep them vital. Two articles present some provocative thoughts on this subject:
- Rocky Mountain News compares the One Book/One Denver experience to Seattle’s program, on goals, choice of titles, budget, programming and timing and comes up with suggestions to improve Denver’s program. A follow-up column, “One Book, So Many Opinions,” shows how difficult getting concensus can be.
- Emily Cook, of Milkweed Editions, tells Publishers Weekly that communities need to “appeal to 15–34-year-olds…What would happen if Chuck Klosterman went to Grand Rapids, Minnesota? Fifteen-year-olds would have a different concept of literature; 25-year-olds would be excited to read and engage, rather than feeling bored or excluded because their community is reading To Kill a Mockingbird, a book they read in high school and remember somewhat vividly.”
Links to specific One Book sites:
Seattle Reads– the grandmother of them all
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