
Library asks public to choose from finalists for next Big Read

Possibilities are 'True Grit,' 'Grapes of Wrath," 'Tom Sawyer'

Posted: November 22, 2013 - 3:34pm

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library is asking for input in selecting the next title for the Big Read.

Staff members have narrowed the field for the 2015 Big Read to three classics that would lend themselves to a monthlong series of events that accompany the event. The library wants community members to cast a survey vote for “True Grit,” by Charles Portis, “The Grapes of Wrath,” by John Steinbeck, or “Tom Sawyer,” by Mark Twain.

Votes will be taken at http://svy.mk/18dWHgg through Dec. 8.

Diana Friend, library communications and marketing director, said people in the past have asked the library to let them have more input in choosing the Big Read title. This time, “we want to make sure we give the community a voice,” Friend said.

Earlier this year, the library scheduled events around “The Great Gatsby” in advance of the new movie release of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. The library is approaching a January deadline for its grant application for the 2015 Big Read and will look to the survey results for direction.

Grant money for the program is administered by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Friend said the library won’t organize a Big Read for 2014 because of the cost and time it requires.

“It really is very intensive to put together a month’s worth of projects,” Friend said.

Staff members considered a variety of factors in choosing the three finalists for 2015. Friend said they look to see if books are available in different formats, such as large print and audio, as well as whether a movie has been made. Another consideration is whether there is a companion book for children.

Sherman Smith can be reached at (785) 295-1231 or sherman.smith@cjonline.com.
Follow Sherman on Twitter @TCJShermanSmith. Read Sherman's blog.


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