We are now into our third year here at the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library and so far it has been a busy year. The Center's advisory board - the full list of these hard-working book-lovers is on our web site (http://www.state.nh.us/nhsl/bookcenter/about/index.html) - decided at the 2004 annual meeting that the Center should move forward with two projects designed to let more people know that we're here and what we're doing.

The first of these is the launch of a semi-annual newsletter, Book Notes. This newsletter includes information bout what the New Hampshire Center for the Book is up to as well as articles that will be of interest to Granite State readers. The first issue was sent out to libraries, bookstores, colleges, and individuals whom we through might be interested in learning about, and perhaps joining, the NH Center for the Book.

That brings me to our second project - we have developed a membership program to help us connect with the readers in our state and to provide the Center with additional financial resources so we can continue to develop programs that celebrate and promote reading, books, literacy, and the literary heritage of New Hampshire and which highlight the role that reading and libraries play in enriching the lives of the people of the Granite State. In other words, programs that fulfill our mission. Annual membership levels range from supporters at $5.00 - $24.00 all the way up to benefactors at $1,000 or more. Books Notes will be sent twice a year to all members of the Center to keep them informed of our programs and projects. If you are interested in contributing to the future of the New Hampshire Center for the book by becoming a founding member, please visit our web site at www.state.nh.us/nhsl/bookcenter and click on the "Join the Center" link to access the membership form.

One of the features in Book Notes has also been added to our website - Granite State Readers Recommend. One of the goals of the Center's current three-year plan is to "explore ways to foster dialog about books among New Hampshire readers." I think this program is a step in that direction. We contacted various readers around the state and asked them to recommend books they have enjoyed. Some of the recommendations were included in the first issue of Book Notes, but space constraints prevented us from including them all, so we added a section to our website to share all the great books that Granite State readers recommended. Next time you are looking for a good book to reach, check out the recommendations. I also encourage you to tell us about any books that you have read lately and would like to recommend to others - a link on the website makes it easy to do.

Of course, in addition to these new projects we are also working on the programs and activities we began in the first two years of the Center. The list of titles nominated for the 2005 Ladybug Picture Book Award was released in February, the New Hampshire semi-finalists in the 2005 Letters About Literature writing competition were announced in March, and the Dublin Committee is busy reading books in preparation for making a nomination later in the spring. Details on all of these programs are on the website. Yes, it has been a busy few months, but as the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library continues to grow I hope we will get even busier.