Insight

              A Newsletter from the Illinois State Library
Jesse White •Secretary of State & State Librarian
January/February
in
this
issue
Three days of free
fun at Book Fair
Illinois Library
Day – April 19
Illinois Veterans’
History Project
Emerging Writers
Competition
winners
Center for the
Book donates 236
books to charity
2007
Large and enthusiastic crowds came to the State
Library in November for the annual Illinois
Authors Book Fair, expanded in its 10th year to a
three-day event.
Festivities kicked off with an all-day celebration
tied to Family Reading Night on Thursday, Nov.
16, an annual event sponsored by Secretary of
State Jesse White to encourage families to read
together. Children’s authors and storytellers enter-tained
Springfield area students during the morn-ing
and afternoon. In the evening, parents and
kids were entertained by authors, storytellers and
costumed characters such as Scooby-Doo and
Dora the Explorer.
Highlights of day two included inspiring speeches
by Pulitzer-Prize winning author James B. Stewart
(The Call to Duty: Leadership in Times of Terror
and The Heart of a Soldier) and Scott Turow,
whose novel, Ordinary Heroes, was the subject of
the Springfield area libraries’ Together We Read
program. Popular HGTV book appraiser Tom
Joyce made a return appearance for two days, and
gardening experts Gloria Young and Dianne
Noland conducted a program for green-thumb
types.
Day three on Saturday was filled with more than
six hours of book signings, book discussions,
workshops, performances and children’s activities.
Patrons purchased many Illinois authors’ books
and other items at the on-site bookstore. The book
fair concluded with a discussion and the showing
of the film, A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries,
based on the novel by Illinois author Kaylie Jones.
Thanks to everyone who helped make the 2006
Illinois Authors Book Fair a huge success! (See
page 2 for more photos.)
Three days of free fun at Book Fair
INSIGHT
Illinois Assistive Technology Program honors
Secretary White — While being honored for
his support of the Illinois Assistive Technology
Program, Secretary of State Jesse White visit-ed
the State Library’s Talking Book and Braille
Service in Springfield. With Secretary White
are (left to right) TBBS employee Patricia
Salamon; State Library Director Anne Craig;
TBBS Director Sharon Ruda; TBBS employee
Deborah Hurley; and State Library Chief
Deputy Director Mike Ragen.
Children's author Alice B.
McGinty reads to a group
of children at the Illinois
Authors Book Fair.
Cartoon character
Scooby-Doo was a hit
with youngsters who
showed up at the State
Library for Family
Reading Night, which
coincided with the three-day
book fair.