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Communities Read: One Book, One Michiana

Posted by admin on 04.09.2010 at 10:15 am

In today’s guest post, Dawn Matthews from the St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend, Indiana talks about the excitement and joy of being part of community read, and the reason they chose To Kill a Mockingbird for the first ever One Book, One Michiana program.

1b1mich_07 I have always thought that books, reading, and libraries connect us in a “pay it forward” kind of way. When you think about it, a good book isn’t half as good if you can’t share it with someone. There is a primal need, in fact, of wanting to challenge and excite someone else with the discovery of a great author or book. That is why, I believe, the whole One Book, One Community idea has taken off across the country. It is an exciting event in which all residents are encouraged to read the same book at the same time and discuss it with friends and family, with a book club or at a program.

For our first title, we have selected To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Set in the South during the Great Depression, this coming-of-age novel is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America. We chose it because it is filled with tenderness, humor, and heart wrenching moments that are thought provoking and discussable. It is also perfectly fitting that this year is the 50th anniversary of this all American classic and Pulitzer prize winning book.

2 Comments » | Tagged Book & Author News, Our Partners, indiana, One Book One Michiana, south bend, St. Joseph County Public Library, To Kill a Mockingbird

Our partners stop by for a visit!

Posted by admin on 09.24.2009 at 2:02 pm

It’s always great to meet with our partners face to face and to show them around our South Bend, Indiana warehouse so they can really get a feel for what’s we’re doing.

Just last week we had a visit from Shaun Skelton, Executive Director of Visions In Action and Pat Plonski, Executive Director of Books For Africa where we discussed ongoing collaborative opportunities. warehousedavidpat

Visions In Action is shipping seven containers of books to South Africa, Uganda, and Tanzania, with Books For Africa providing the books and Better World Books and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) providing funding.

“Better World Books is our number one funder, our number one source for college textbooks, and our number one source of visibility on some 800 college campuses across North America,” Plonski noted. “Their support has been critical to our success, and it was great to tour their facilities and meet their staff.”

–Always a pleasure Pat! We’re so glad you do what you do. Thanks for stopping by!

2 Comments » | Tagged Our Partners, books to South Africa, Books to Tanzania, books to Uganda, Executive Director of Books For Africa, Executive Director of Visions In Action, indiana, Pat Plonski, Shaun Skelton, south bend, United States Agency for International Development

Rolling out the Red Carpet

Posted by Rudy on 10.20.2008 at 12:00 pm

Here at the Greenhouse, we get a lot of visitors from near and far; and, let me tell you, it never gets old. In fact, it’s one of the things that I enjoy most about being based here in Mishawaka. Among our recent guests were the Ambassador of Malawi to the United States and the Honorable Joe Donnelly of Indiana’s Second Congressional District.

Most recently, we received a visit from our local public television, WNIT, and their awesome program Outdoor Elements. Host Evie Kirkwood, who also serves as the director of our county park system, brought a film crew to tape a segment for the program which will air in Feburary 2009.

We walked our distribution center for about an hour, exploring all of the ways in which our little company in the corn fields has really embraced its sustainbility focused mission. From waste recycling to our co-op garden to our committment to reuse just about everything that we come in contact with (including our shelving and furniture), there was plenty into which to sink our teeth. I’m actually curious to see what will air during the short, 10-minute segment, given that we must have filmed more than 45 minutes worth! I’ll be sure to update you when the segment is available.

1 Comment » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, Dispatches from the Green House, indiana, Joe Donnelly, Mishawaka, Rudy Reyes Jr., Visitors, WNIT

Recyclers and the Library Division

Posted by admin on 07.30.2007 at 6:34 am

The Library Team is looking for new ways to partner with recyclers to re-use a portion of the books they receive. We’re big believers in finding a home for every book we can.

We recently joined the National Recycling Coalition as part of our continued effort to be green. We attended the 2007 Indiana Recycling Coalition state affiliate conference in Bloomington IN and it was great meeting so many other people as passionate about re-using and recycling as we are.

One of the organizations we met publishes newsletters for county recyclers. Trash Talk loved the Better World Books story and published an article about us that reached 1.5 million people!