Pennsylvania Center for the Book
Penn State's University Libraries became the home of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Book (PACFTB) in 2000, following the approval of the Library of Congress. Pennsylvania’s first Center for the Book was located at the state library from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s. Since the second arrival of the PACFTB, we have provided valuable literacy and literary resources for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through our programs, projects, and web presence. Increasingly, many of the Center’s resources have been utilized by people beyond the Commonwealth’s borders, and the Center has come to realize a national presence through its many endeavors.
The exterior of Fallingwater.
AP Archive
One ongoing project is the online Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania, which showcases over 900 biographies of writers and other cultural figures from all 67 counties who have given our Commonwealth its rich cultural heritage. The interactive map now includes additional feature articles and essays on famous locations and events. Some examples include the Frank Lloyd Wright designed home, Fallingwater, at Bear Run in Fayette County as well as a feature called “Thoughts on the making of Pioneer Church.”
The children’s book, Pioneer Church, by Carolyn Otto and illustrated by Megan Lloyd, was inspired by the Old Zion Church in Brickerville, Pennsylvania in Lancaster County. The art from the book is traveling the United States in an exhibit that uses children’s book illustrations to capture the spirit of each state. The feature on our map includes an audio review of the book by PACFTB Director Steven Herb 
explaining the selection of the book, and video clips of Megan Lloyd describing how the book evolved and how she designs picture storybooks (also located in Megan Lloyd’s home county—Cumberland). Feature articles can be found by clicking on the icon of a book with a question mark next to it when one appears on a county map. A dozen additional features are in preparation for release this spring.
Through the map, one can peruse historic Pennsylvania newspapers —some dating from the 18th century—as well as a vast store of Pennsylvania county histories and geological atlases. The Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania received a Boorstin Award for Innovative and Creative Reading Promotion Projects from the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress in 2005.
To shape the future readers of Pennsylvania, the Center provides book lists, educational guides, lesson plans, and resources for families of young children and those who work in language and literacy development. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book’s Family Literacy Activities website continues to be featured on the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), a national consortium that makes reading materials available at little or no cost. This year the program is being used by thousands of libraries in 44 states across the nation. Each year the PACFTB selects a Baker’s Dozen—thirteen of the best fiction and nonfiction picture books to support family literacy and to create a love of books and reading with preschool children. A listing of all of the Baker’s Dozen titles since 2003, along with activities for using the books with children and their families, is a continued resource of value to all of those promoting literacy with the very young.
The Letters about Literature writing event invites student writers in 4th through 12th grade to write to an author, living or dead, to express how a book has influenced or changed their view of the world. The program, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and Target stores, is very popular with students and their teachers from across the Commonwealth. Evidence of that popularity is the fact that Pennsylvania rated sixth out of the fifty states for the most letters submitted!
State winners for 2008 include Maddie Roach, from Malvern, Pennsylvania, winning the Level I prize for grades fourth through sixth, writing to J. K. Rowling about her series of Harry Potter books; Carly Houlahan from Rosemont, Pennsylvania, winning the Level II award, for grades seventh and eighth, writing to Dr. Seuss about Oh, The Places You’ll Go; and Samantha Weber winning the Level III award, for grades ninth through twelfth, writing to Elie Wiesel about Night. Winners receive a $150 cash prize and a $50 gift certificate from Target. The winners received their awards at a luncheon in their honor in State College, Pennsylvania on April 26th.
Pennsylvania Reading programs and other book news including the announcement of book awards, author obituaries, publishers and bookstores can also be found on the PACFTB website.