Institute of Museum and Library Services Sponsors the Pavilion of the States at the 8th Annual National Book Festival

reprinted with permission
IMLS Press Contacts
(202) 653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth
Mamie Bittner

Despite rainy forecasts, more than 120,000 book lovers flocked to the 8th annual National Book Festival held September 27th on the National Mall. Many families visited the Pavilion of the States supported for the 7th year by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The free festival was sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush.

The Pavilion of the States is extremely popular among families. Children raced to each state table getting state stamps on their maps of America. Those who completed the map visited the IMLS table to receive their prize: a free book called Save it! A Kid’s Guide to Collecting and Conserving by Francie Alexander, Scholastic’s Chief Academic Officer.

IMLS also distributed 6,000 free fans entitled, “What’s In Your Collection?” which included information on the Institute’s Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a national initiative to raise public awareness of the importance of caring for our treasures. For more information about the initiative, please go to www.imls.gov/collections.

For those who were unable to attend the festival, authors’ presentations are available as podcasts at www.loc.gov/podcasts.

Mary Russell, Dr. Radice, Michael York, Charles Shipman