1 August, 2023
From the Director's Desk:
As I write this, we are beginning to wind down our Summer Reading programs and gearing up for our fall initiative, One Book, One Hopkinton. The One City, One Book program originated in Seattle when librarian Nancy Pearl at the Seattle Public Library’s Washington Center for the Book, offered the first “If All Seattle Read the Same Book” program. The idea was to promote a sense of community and to promote literacy. Both goals are part of the Hopkinton Public Library’s recent long-range plan and tie-in with the Selectboard’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. One Book programs are like book discussions on steroids. The intention is to bring community members together to discuss the book and enjoy programs that reflect the themes in the title. Since Pearl launched the very first program, libraries across the country have picked up on the idea, so much so that the Library of Congress started curating a list of selected titles. Pearl also got her very own action figure with super shushing power!
Hopkinton’s first One Book/One Hopkinton program will run from September 15, 2023 through November 17, 2023. The title that we have chosen is Digging to America by Anne Tyler. The novel is about two families who meet at the Baltimore Airport as they are picking up their adopted Korean daughters. The Yazdan and Donaldson families form a lifelong friendship. As they raise their daughters, both families grapple with questions of assimilation and cultural identity. Given that Hopkinton is one of the fastest growing communities in Massachusetts and that we have made a town-wide commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, we thought Tyler’s book would provide the basis for important discussions.
We have ordered 150 copies of the book, which will be available for check-out over the course of the three months. Our OB/OH committee, composed of library staff and representatives from the community, have planned book discussions and other programs relevant to the themes in the novel, for all ages. Programs range from a coffee house with French-Canadian singer Josee Vachon to a genealogy program on ethnicity and migration with Eric Migdal. We’ll have a DIY Korean Lantern making program, as well as a presentation by the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Network on becoming a foster parent and adopting in Massachusetts. Chinese acrobat Li Lu will be back for an acrobatic performance, and children will be able to participate in storytimes on the themes of love and family. All ages will also be able to attend a program featuring Kathaka: Dancing Rythms and Stories of India (funded through a Talk Story grant from the American Library Association).
For more information, watch our website as we get closer to the launch! The One Book/One Hopkinton program is generously funded through the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation.
View more about August Programs at Library: https://www.hcam.tv/hopkinton-public-library-august-2023-events
