The US's Center for the Book: an Alliance Between Public and Private Interests

LOGOS The US's Center for the Book: An alliance between public and private interests

John Y Cole The search for a "book community" in the US has a forty-year history, with numerous initiatives, some dazzling successes and one or two failures. The US is a land of private enterprise. Yet books are a sub ject of public concern. This has led to both cooper ation and clashes between Washington, the library community and the publishing in'^ustry. In 1950, a small group of leading Ameri Director of the Center for the can publishers, including Cass Canfield (Harper & Book since it was established in Row), Curtis McGraw (McGraw-Hill), Harold 1977, John Cole is a librarian Guinzburg (Viking Press) and Douglas Black (Dou and a scholar who holds graduate bleday), established the American Book Publishers Council (ABPC), a ttade association that extended degrees from the University of itself beyond usual business concerns in order to Washington, The Johns Hopkins promote books, reading and libraries. The first dis University and The George cussions between ABPC representatives and librar Washington University, where he ians took place at the 1950 conference of the American Library Association (ALA). Postal rates, received a PhD in American book distribution, copyright and reading promotion Civilization. He is the author of were early agenda items. A popular anthology. The three books and many articles Wonderful World of Books (1952), was one resuh of about the history and the con a 1951 Conference on Rural Reading, sponsored by temporary role of the Library of the ABPC, the US Department of Agriculture, the ALA and other organizations. Theodore Waller, Congress. He has also edited fif the first Managing Director (1950-53) of the teen publications for the Center ABPC, and Dan Lacy, who succeeded Waller and for the Book. guided the ABPC's affairs until he joined McGraw- Hill in 1966, were key figures in forging these early book world alliances. Censorship became a topic of concem to American publishers and librarians in the early 1950s, when private groups and public officials in various parts of the country made attempts to remove hooks from sale, to censor textbooks, to dis tribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors and to purge libraries. Senator Joseph R McCarthy's Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, for exam ple, demanded that the overseas information libraries of the State Department be purged of books that presented "pro-Communist" views. In

response, in May 1953, the ALA and the ABPC Africa, reflected widespread recognition of the key sponsored a conference on the Freedom to Read. role that books could play in economic and cultural Librarian of Congress Luther H Evans chaired the development. American govemment officials, pub two-day meeting, which resulted in substantial lishers, educators and librarians established several agreement on principles and soon led to a Freedom important programs that stimulated book exports, to Read Declaration that was adopted by both asso foreign trade and intemational exchange; encour ciations. The American Booksellers Association, aged publishing in developing countries; and pro the Book Manufacturers' Institute, the National moted books, libraries and reading round the world. Council of Teachers of English and others soon The major efforts were: added their endorsements. The Freedom to Read Declaration and (i) the Informational Media Guaranty Program related intellectual freedom issues united publishing (IMG) (1948-68), a program that borrowed and library leaders and their organizations and stim funds from the US Treasury to enable US book ulated, in 1954, the creation of the National Book publishers, as well as producers of other "infor Committee. Declaring itself a citizen-oriented, pub mational media" such as films and recordings, lic interest voice on behalf of books, the Commit to sell their matetials in countries that were tee urged "wider distribution and wider use" of short of hard-currency foreign exchange; books and encouraged greater use and support of (ii) Frankhn Book Programs (1952-79), a non libraries, the development of life-long reading profit, private educational corporation initi habits, improved access to books and the freedom ated by the publishing community and to read. Its approximately 300 members worked supported by US government information together and with the professional book community agencies and foundations to "assist developing to "foster a general public understanding of the countries in the creation, production, distribu value of books to the individual and to a demo tion and use of books and other educational cratic society" materials"; The ABPC and the ALA, the primary (iii) the US Government Advisory Committee on sponsors of the National Book Committee, pro Book and Library Programs (1962-77), a panel vided it with a small, paid professional staff and of publishers, booksellers and librarians that with office space. Most of its projects were sup met with government officials to provide ported by grants from foundations or by govern advice about federal book policies and pro ment funds. In 1955, a Commission on the grams. Freedom to Read was established. In 1958, the Committee inaugurated National Library Week, a When Unesco proclaimed 1972 as Inter year-round promotion and media campaign that national Book Year in order to "focus the attention encouraged citizen support for libraries, which it of the general public and of govemments and inter administered in collaboration with the ALA for the national and domestic organizations on the role of next sixteen years. In 1960, the Committee began books and related materials in the lives and affairs administering the National Book Awards, which of the individual and society", the National Book honored American books of literary merit and their Committee organized and supported US participa authors. During the next decade, the Committee tion. The year 1972 was a high watermark in the initiated and co-sponsored conferences on topics US for cooperative organizational efforts on behalf such as the development of life-long reading habits; of books and reading. Two years later, the National the role of US books abroad; books in the schools; Book Committee itself was disbanded; in 1977, the the need for books in rural areas as well as in urban Government Advisory Committee on Book and slums; the need to strengthen school libraries; and Library Programs was abolished; and in 1979, the public library in the city. Franklin Book Programs were formally liquidated. The National Book Committee's sponsor Thus in 1982, when Unesco sponsored a World ship of projects and publications about the role of Congress on Books to assess international progress American books overseas, particularly in Asia and in promoting books since 1972, most of the key US