was Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anna Quindlen this past
April. Though it is not a children’s event, the luncheon has been
a shining example of the potential of joint bookstore-library
ventures. “In six years we’ve raised $50,000 or $60,000,”
Droke-Dickinson says.
In years past, Anderson’s Bookshop held massive Harry
Potter parties that involved partnering with the local libraries
to “make it a fun event for our whole downtown,” Anderson
says. Approximately 70,000 people came to celebrate the
release of the seventh book of J.K. Rowling’s series in 2007.
Now the stores and libraries are joining forces again for a
July 30 shindig they are calling “The Return of the Party
that Shall Not Be Named” to mark the release of Harry Potter
and the Cursed Child Parts I and II (Scholastic/Levine). With
the purchase of a ticket to the party, guests receive a
number that dictates their place in line to receive their new
book at midnight.
With its proximity to the University of
Minnesota, Red Balloon enjoys a special
partnership with the university’s Children’s
Literature Research Collections, which
includes the renowned Kerlan Collection.
Weinkauf says that, in addition to teaming
up for some author visits throughout the
year, her store can provide additional
resources. “For any new book coming out,
and we host the author, [the university]
likes to have a signed first edition in their
collection,” she says. Because this partner-
ship has worked well over time, Weinkauf
says her store now works with the uni-
versity’s department of curriculum and
instruction, as well. “We help them fill in
gaps in their children’s collection in the
research library,” she says. Each semester,
the department awards grants to students
who are going into education. “They write
an essay about why it’s important to use
books in the classroom,” Weinkauf says.
“They spend their grant money here. They
really enjoy talking with us, and we’re able
to help them find things. Some of these
kids have grown up in the area and tell us
they remember the store from childhood.
Or it’s their first time here and they are
really happy to see it.”
Other popular bookstore-library projects
include book fairs (with schools as well as
with other community entities) and “one
book”–style programs, in which students
or residents of a school, city, county, or state
all read the same book over the same time
period. And major literacy initiatives,
whether sponsored by the American Library
Association or other organizations, offer
additional opportunities for bookstores
and libraries to team up. “The library has
been promoting the 1,000 Books Before
Kindergarten campaign,” Anderson says.
“We should all promote it across the
country; it’s an easy thing for us to do.”
[
