Since 2004, the Richardson Public Library in Richardson, Texas, has enthusiastically encouraged its community to read. Not really an innovative undertaking for a library, but their campaign, Richardson Reads One Book, has each person in town prompted to read the same title. A nightmare for a librarian, possibly?
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| Garth Stein recently spoke at RROB |
• Three Cups of Tea by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson (2009)
• Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian (2008)
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (2007)
• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (2006)
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2005)
• Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2004)
I wanted to find out more about this undertaking and talked with Susan Allison, assistant director of The Richardson Public Library and current president of Richardson Reads One Book.
PAMELA
Having a community read one book didn’t start with your library, did it?
SUSAN
Oh, no. One Book, One Community is a nation-wide reading program created in 1998 by Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl with the Washington Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. Her plan—and our plan as well— was to pick a single book that had broad appeal and that highlighted compelling issues and to encourage everyone in the community to build bonds through small group discussion groups and community events related to the One Book title.
PAMELA
Why did Richardson decide to become a part of the initiative?
SUSAN
The Richardson program began in 2003 when several interested people in the community decided to give it a try. The original committee included several of us at the Richardson Public Library, a former Richardson Arts Commission chair and English professor at Collin College, and the director of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center. To our knowledge, Richardson was the first city in the Dallas area to attempt a One Book program, and one of only a handful in Texas. We knew there were lots of readers in Richardson—interest was high. The challenge came with starting a community-wide program with little money. We’ve been amazed and gratified at the number of individual donors and loyal community entities, such as the hospital, community college, and civic groups, who have supported the program for the last seven years.
PAMELA
Having spent several years as part of a monthly book club, I know how difficult—and yet how important—choosing a book can be for a dozen people. The thought of trying to find a title that appeals to tens of thousands seems impossible. How is a title selected?
SUSAN
Our criteria is: the book must appeal to a wide range of readers, from high school to senior citizens; it should be provocative, with universal themes that lends itself well to group discussion; it should preferably be written at about a 7th grade reading level in order to be accessible to a wide range of readers; and it should be available in paperback, as well as other formats—such as a book on CD, in large print, or in other languages. We begin compiling a list of candidates in the fall—books recommended by people in the community as well as quite a few recommended by our librarians on the committee! The list usually has about 30 titles on it—both fiction and nonfiction. The committee reads for several months, and before the holidays we narrow the list down to our top four to six. At that point everyone makes sure they read the shortlist. We meet back in January/February to vote, argue and lobby for our favorites! Sometimes the choice is easy—sometimes it’s agony. After we make our choice, we contact an agent in New York we’ve worked with for years and she checks availability and cost of the author.
PAMELA
Wow, that sounds like an exhausting process and yet exciting to be a part of. How has the program grown?
SUSAN
The most important way it has grown is in name recognition. There is a great deal of community interest all year long now. People are eager to know what book we’ve chosen and there’s a lot of excitement around the time we “reveal” the One Book. The program has established credibility—even when we pick a book that initially makes people say “What?!,” we get support and attendance. Many who were not thrilled with a particular title end up reading it anyway after they hear the author speak; or some who did not care for the book at first reading, after hearing the author, decide that they’ll give it another chance. We’ve found some of the best book discussions are those where people have mixed opinions or just flat out don’t like! I believe our community trusts that the One Book is worthy of attention.
PAMELA
That’s strikingly similar to what I’ve experienced in a smaller group book club. Some of us, who begrudgingly read a title, end up loving it. Others will go back and read if the group discussion piques their interest.
But writers can prove to be a shy lot. Ever worry about how someone will do speaking in front of such a large group?
SUSAN
That’s always a worry. We’ve been fortunate that all of our authors have been well-spoken and used to large crowds. We had one you might consider shy or soft-spoken—but when he spoke, the auditorium was hushed—the audience held on to every word! I think most realize that their audience is supportive and eager to hear them, regardless of the size. And that readers want to hear an author, regardless of his/her public speaking ability.
PAMELA
It is fascinating to put a face and voice together with the written word. I was able to attend when Jeannette Walls spoke about writing The Glass Castle. I thought the crowd was very receptive to her talk. Do you get much feedback afterward from those who attend?
SUSAN
Yes we do! The excitement lingers for quite a while, as does the continued discussion of the book. Some book clubs purposely wait until after the author speaks to have their book discussions, feeling it provides an added dimension to their discourse. I’ve been a librarian for 28 years, and one thing I know for sure about the Richardson community: They love hearing authors, and reading and talking about books!
PAMELA
And it’s nice that you make the event available to those outside the immediate community. I know I hope to attend again. Can you tell us anything about the next book selection? Has it been chosen and when will it be announced?
SUSAN
The 2011 book will be chosen—hopefully!—in February, and then announced in late March or April. We are reading right now. We actually have two or three from last year’s list that we really liked and were runners-up for the 2010 choice. But who knows? That’s part of the fun of being on this board.
PAMELA
If someone was interested in starting a Reads-One-Book initiative in their community, what advice would you give them?
SUSAN
The best place to start is on the Center for the Book website. You can look at the programs in all 50 states and see what books and authors other cities have chosen. Their website is: LOCgov/cfbook. From there you can search for the One Book One Community programs, and then go to websites around the country to look for best practices. You can also find support materials from the American Library Association. They have marketing templates and helpful information on a CD you can buy: ALAStore.ala.org. Of course, no One Book program would be complete without support from your local public library. Librarians can be your best friend when it comes to reading and readers’ advisory!
PAMELA
Oh, I completely agree. Librarians have long been some of my favorite people and that affinity started way back in elementary school. Thanks, Susan, for your wonderful responses to my questions. I hope you’ve inspired others to start a book group—either one that intimately meets in a coffee shop or a community that bonds over a mutual love of reading. You’ll have to stop back by and let us know your 2011 selection!
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