Pennsylvania Center for the Book

Pennsylvania Center for the Book Celebrating all things literary in Pennsylvania! Schmit, Director
Caroline Wermuth, Outreach Coordinator

Team:
Steven Herb, Ph.D., Founding Director (2000-2017)
Erica King, Curriculum Specialist
Bernadette Lear, Affiliate Faculty
James McCready, Information Resources and Services Specialist
Nicole Miyashiro, Writer-in-Residence
Karla M.

🎉 We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Baker's Dozen: 13 Best Books for Family Literacy booklist! Some of this year's se...
06/12/2026

🎉 We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Baker's Dozen: 13 Best Books for Family Literacy booklist!

Some of this year's selected titles include:

📖 Sand Cakes by Kallie George and illustrated by Devon Holzwarth from Tundra Books

📖 Seven Little Ducklings by Annette Leblanc Cate from Candlewick Press

📖 Broken by X. Fang from Tundra Books

📖 Balloon by Bruce Handy and illustrated by Julie Kwon from Chronicle Books

📖 My Grandma and Grandpa Rock! by Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo and illustrated by Tiffany Everett from Sourcebooks Kids

📖 A Quick Trip to the Store by Sam Wedelich from Penguin Kids

Established in 2003, the Baker’s Dozen: 13 Best Books for Family Literacy booklist identifies the top 13 books published in the previous calendar year that support family literacy goals for children between three and six years of age.

Learn more about the 2026 Baker's Dozen booklist and all 13 selected titles: https://www.psu.edu/news/university-libraries/story/pa-center-book-announces-2026-bakers-dozen-childrens-booklist
Penn State University Libraries

06/12/2026

📚 THANK YOU! 📚

Because of our incredible volunteers, donors, shoppers, sponsors, and community supporters, the 2026 AAUW State College Used Book Sale netted more than $150,000 to support education, scholarships, grants, and community programs.

Every donated book, every volunteer hour, and every purchase helped make this success possible.

We can't wait to see you next year (May 15-18, 2027)!

🏳️‍🌈 📚 To celebrate Pride Month, we are highlighting a few books by Pennsylvania authors featuring LGBTQ+ stories:Young ...
06/11/2026

🏳️‍🌈 📚 To celebrate Pride Month, we are highlighting a few books by Pennsylvania authors featuring LGBTQ+ stories:

Young Adult:
❤️ The Jump by Brittney Morris from Simon Teen
🧡 Sweet Clarity by Rhiannon Richardson Simon Teen

Romance:
💛 You Won't Forget Me by Mazey Eddings from St. Martin's Press (available June 9th)
💚 Here Comes Summer by Georgie Kain (available June 16th)

Nonfiction:
💙 S*x with a Brain Injury by Annie Liontas from Scribner Books
💜 My Name's Yours, What's Alaska? by Alaska 5000 from Chronicle Books

🍿 Last week, we brought in our favorite Pennsylvania snacks to watch Pennsylvania's episode of American Stories: A Readi...
06/10/2026

🍿 Last week, we brought in our favorite Pennsylvania snacks to watch Pennsylvania's episode of American Stories: A Reading Road Trip with our colleagues at the Penn State University Libraries!

American Stories: A Reading Road Trip is a new series produced by PBS Books in partnership with The Library of Congress and its Affiliate Centers for the Book. Timed with America’s 250th anniversary, the series celebrates the literary heritage and storytelling traditions that have shaped each U.S. state and territory.

Pennsylvania's episode is now available to watch on PBS Books' website and YouTube channel!

Thank you to our University Park colleagues who joined us at the watch party! It was a fun experience being able to share the episode and explore Pennsylvania's literary heritage with you all!
Common Services at Pattee Library and Paterno Library

📣 We want to hear YOUR Pittsburgh stories! The Library of Congress' 2025 Innovator in Residence, Vivian Li, designed Any...
06/09/2026

📣 We want to hear YOUR Pittsburgh stories!

The Library of Congress' 2025 Innovator in Residence, Vivian Li, designed Anywhere Adventures, a mobile history adventure website, that explores local histories through items in the Library of Congress’ digital collections.

The project is being expanded to Pittsburgh, and the Library of Congress is looking for short stories about the city that reference at least one item from their collection.

Submit your story for consideration by next Monday (June 15th), and your story might be selected and featured within the Pittsburgh section of the Anywhere Adventures website!

For more information and to submit your story: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SZF6TFC

06/09/2026

LAMP Pittsburgh has two new displays in its public area this month. Stop on by and check out some of our Large Print titles highlighting our Summer Reading programs (top two shelves), as well as LGBTQIA+ titles for Pride Month (bottom two shelves).

And we have double the fun with two Summer Reading programs! The display features books to highlight Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Summer Reading theme, GROW! Find out more about CLPs Summer Reading program, here: https://www.carnegielibrary.org/summer-reading.

LAMP patrons across the state can call or email to let us know they would like to participate in our Summer Reading program "Unearth a Story," which runs from June 15 - Aug. 14. Find out more info, here: https://mylamp.org/blog/summer-reading-program-2026.

06/08/2026

🎉 Happy 150th anniversary to the American Library Association (ALA)!

06/08/2026

NLS summer reading adventure! Enjoy online events, activities & story times for all. Register & explore through braille & talking books!

🎬 Pennsylvania's episode of American Stories: A Reading Road Trip is now available to watch on PBS Books' website and Yo...
06/06/2026

🎬 Pennsylvania's episode of American Stories: A Reading Road Trip is now available to watch on PBS Books' website and YouTube channel!

American Stories: A Reading Road Trip is a new series produced by PBS Books in partnership with The Library of Congress and its Affiliate Centers for the Book. Timed with America’s 250th anniversary, the series celebrates the literary heritage and storytelling traditions that have shaped each U.S. state and territory.

Pennsylvania’s episode takes viewers on a vibrant literary journey from Pittsburgh through the Appalachian Mountains to Philadelphia and beyond, highlighting the Commonwealth’s enduring influence on American literature, journalism, theater, education, and public life.

The episode includes interviews with Ellysa Stern Cahoy (Director of the PA Center for the Book), Dawn Frisby Byers (Senior Director of Content and Engagement at PA Humanities), and Sony Ton-Aime (Director of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures) as well as contemporary writers Jennifer Weiner, Marjorie Maddox Hafer, Eric Smith, and Raina J. León.

Watch Pennsylvania's episode here: https://www.pbsbooks.org/event/pennsylvania-american-stories-a-reading-road-trip-episode-113/
Penn State University Libraries

06/05/2026

📚Upcoming releases from Pennsylvania authors!

Address

502 Paterno Library
University Park, PA
16802

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