“In the
mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more
on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were
reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit
citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The
committee's goals were ambitious. They
ranged from ‘encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time’ to ‘improving
incomes and health' and 'developing strong and happy family life.’
“In 1957,
the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that
once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. With
the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first
National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme ‘Wake Up and Read!’
“National
Library Week was observed again in 1959, and the ALA Council voted to continue
the annual celebration. When the National Book Committee disbanded in 1974, ALA
assumed full sponsorship.”
Copied from American
Library Association’s website (www.ala.org National Library Week History).
If Americans
were reading less in the 1950s, imagine how much less it is today with the
addition of all these electronics we can’t seem to live without. Reading is still, however, very important and
while it has been shown that watching TV is a passive brain activity, reading
is definitely not passive. It engages our brain and according to Psychology Today, reading fiction has
“the power to reshape your brain and improve theory of mind.”
Central
Mississippi Regional Library System (CMRLS) always offers a variety of programs
and National Library Week is no exception.
This year there are four programming opportunities that we just cannot
publicize enough.
Scott County Reads: Mississippi Author
Michael Farris Smith
Forest
Public Library
Tuesday,
April 9, 6:00 p.m.
The Forest
Public Library is hosting the Second Annual County-Wide Event for National
Library Week with an author appearance by Mississippi's own Michael Farris
Smith. He will be talking about his latest book and signing books, such
as The Fighter. If you haven't read one of his books
yet, find one at your local library and check one out! His writing is
critically acclaimed by reviewers and readers across the nation!
Brought to you by the CMRLS Scott County branches: Forest,
Morton, Lake, and Sebastopol.
Simpson County Afternoon
with Mississippi Authors
Mendenhall
Public Library
Wednesday,
April 10, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The
Mendenhall Public Library is hosting over 20 Mississippi authors that will be
available for you to meet. There will be
a wide variety of genres represented, including a few children’s book authors. The authors will have books available for
sale and will happily autograph your purchases.
Brought to
you by the CMRLS Simpson County branches: Magee, Mendenhall, and Harrisville.
Central Comic Con
Pearl Public
Library
Saturday,
April 13, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
It's the first annual Central Comic Con, hosted at Pearl Public Library,
and you're invited to wear your best costume and enjoy all the fun! Local
artists, authors, and vendors will be on site, as well as all of your Rankin
County libraries hosting some fun events, including video game tournaments,
board game tournaments, a video game trailer, mini golf, crafts for kids, and
drawing/art workshops. Get here early to enjoy the fun all day long! Food and
beverages will be for sale from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Brought to you by the CMRLS Rankin County branches: Brandon, Flowood,
Florence, Pearl, Pelahatchie, Puckett, Reservoir, Richland, and Sandhill and
the Friends of Rankin County libraries.
The Six Word Story
Raleigh, Taylorsville, and
Mize Public Libraries
April 8 – April 13
Patrons are encouraged to write
a six-word story. This event stems from the story of Ernest Hemingway winning a
bet that he could write a short story only six words long. His story had a
beginning, a middle, and an end. The story is, “For sale. Baby shoes. Never
worn.” We are inviting all our patrons to come in and use their writing skills
to write their own six-word story. This event will run April 8th
through April 13th with the winner announced on Monday, April 15th.
A $25 gift card will be awarded to the winner.
Brought to you by the CMRLS
Smith County branches: Raleigh, Mize, and Taylorsville.
Four events we would like to invite the public to participate. There are many more programming opportunities
during the week of April 7. Click on the link below to explore other programs
planned during National Library Week.
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