Frisco Enterprise > News
Library seeks volunteers to help distribute books to promote reading
By Anthony Tosie, atosie@starlocalnews.com
Not everyone has easy access to classic novels, which can make it hard to foster an environment where reading is valued. To combat this, Frisco Public Library is taking part in a new effort to help reach these individuals.
World Book Night, a global event which aims to provide access to bestselling novels to people who would otherwise be unable to get them, will take place April 23. Frisco Public Library will serve as a book distribution point for the event, making it the only Collin County library taking part.
In advance of the event, however, Frisco Public Library is seeking volunteers to sign up as "book givers" by Jan. 23. Those individuals will each distribute 20 copies of a bestselling book on World Book Night.
Adam Lamtrecht, a staff librarian at Frisco Public Library, said the library's staff read about the event online and thought it'd be beneficial to the community.
"It's the idea that reading makes a difference," he said. "Reading makes a difference in the individual, the individual makes a difference in the community, and one of our missions is to reach those who are not reading yet or are light readers and encourage them to explore that world of ideas."
Some of the books included in the program include "City of Thieves" by David Benioff, "Bossypants" by Tina Fey and novels from Alexander McCall Smith's "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series.
Adults who are light or non-readers -- or who don't have access to books -- are the primary focus of World Book Night, although some teen literature will also be part of the program.
After the World Book Night organization selects book givers, the library will host a reception for those selected on April 20. Library staff will then provide those individuals with their books -- Lamtrecht said applicants will have some say in choosing what books they hand out -- and the book givers will go out in the community on April 23 to distribute the books.
Because the distribution is being handled solely by the book givers, World Book Night's selection committee will choose applicants based on their plans to get books in the hands of light or non-readers.
"When they apply, that's one of the questions that they're asked -- what their plan is, who they're targeting, and where they're going to distribute the books," Lamtrecht said.
Individuals interested in becoming book givers can apply online at the World Book Night website.
World Book Night, a global event which aims to provide access to bestselling novels to people who would otherwise be unable to get them, will take place April 23. Frisco Public Library will serve as a book distribution point for the event, making it the only Collin County library taking part.
In advance of the event, however, Frisco Public Library is seeking volunteers to sign up as "book givers" by Jan. 23. Those individuals will each distribute 20 copies of a bestselling book on World Book Night.
Adam Lamtrecht, a staff librarian at Frisco Public Library, said the library's staff read about the event online and thought it'd be beneficial to the community.
"It's the idea that reading makes a difference," he said. "Reading makes a difference in the individual, the individual makes a difference in the community, and one of our missions is to reach those who are not reading yet or are light readers and encourage them to explore that world of ideas."
Some of the books included in the program include "City of Thieves" by David Benioff, "Bossypants" by Tina Fey and novels from Alexander McCall Smith's "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series.
Adults who are light or non-readers -- or who don't have access to books -- are the primary focus of World Book Night, although some teen literature will also be part of the program.
After the World Book Night organization selects book givers, the library will host a reception for those selected on April 20. Library staff will then provide those individuals with their books -- Lamtrecht said applicants will have some say in choosing what books they hand out -- and the book givers will go out in the community on April 23 to distribute the books.
Because the distribution is being handled solely by the book givers, World Book Night's selection committee will choose applicants based on their plans to get books in the hands of light or non-readers.
"When they apply, that's one of the questions that they're asked -- what their plan is, who they're targeting, and where they're going to distribute the books," Lamtrecht said.
Individuals interested in becoming book givers can apply online at the World Book Night website.
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