“Especially in the County, there is a prevailing attitude of “there’s nothing to do around here,’ but everyone who participates gets galvanized by a community book-based program. Weeks and even months afterwards, people are still coming up to me on the street to talk about it!”– Joe Zubrick, University of Maine professor and Chair of PI Reads Committee

Man vs. Nature
Lost on a Mountain in Maine
by Joseph Egan
Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne
Alive, the Story of the Andes Survivors
by Piers Paul Read
Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer
Man vs. Man
Seed of Sarah
by Judith Isaacson
Den of Lions
by Terry Anderson
Yellow Ribbon
by Bruce Lainglen
Worth Fighting For
by John McCain
Escape in Iraq
by Thomas Hamill
Man vs. Himself
Anatomy of an Illness
by Norman Cousins
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story
by Richard Preston
The Survivor Personality
by Al Seibert
Child Called “It”
by David Pelzer
Man vs. Technology
Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age
by Bill McKibben
One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey
by Sam Keith
The Gospel According to Larry
by Janet Tashjian
Presque Isle Reads

Presque Isle Reads

The Presque Isle Reads organizers took a novel approach for their One Book program. Readings and programs centered on different aspects of survival: Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Himself, Man vs. Technology. For each week of this month-long program, there were up to 15 recommended titles exploring each of these subthemes from several different points of view.
2005: Books on the Theme of Survival
Synopsis Readings explored the theme of survival: Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Himself, Man vs. Technology. See right sidebar below quotation for a selection of titles recommended for each subtheme.
Partners Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library
Activities
  • An opening reception kicked off the program.
  • Every week there was a speaker/presentation on the week’s subtheme.
  • Holocaust survivor Charles Rotmil captivated the audience with his compelling story in his presentation for the week focusing on the subtheme, Man vs. Man. This was the most successful event of the 2005 program.
  • A resident intern at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, who is a wilderness recreation student and member of the Outdoor Adventure Program, shared her wilderness experiences and those of others in an outstanding presentation. This was even more remarkable because she was filling in for another speaker at the last minute.
Materials/ Promotions
  • In-house flyers and book display
  • PI Reads buttons distributed to participants
Book Distribution An extensive suggested reading list of up to 15 titles was developed for each specific subtheme week. The library kept at least two copies of each recommended title on hand for patrons to borrow (this involved adding several titles to the Library’s permanent collection). Other copies were borrowed via interlibrary loan as needed. Library circulation figures reflected a modest increase as a result of this program. No books were offered for sale through the Library.
Attendance Participation was lower than had been expected. Only a handful of people attended the kickoff, though large and appreciative audiences came for the two presentations. Nonetheless, organizers feel that the response they did receive to this program holds promise.
Community Impact Library Director Sonja Plummer Morgan is buoyed by what she views as the direct outcome of the 2005 PI Reads: later in the same year, during the first week of promotion, a newly-emerging adult reading group attracted 32 registrants! She considers PI Reads a litmus test of sorts, whose results clearly indicate that given an appropriate title selection and program structure, people will indeed participate. “The benefits are not always easily quantified, but the people who participate leave with a new sense of what our library does. We end up with new library card holders and a solidified community of readers who start as discussion participants, and end up, I suspect, as new friends.”
Budget/ Funding The library board commits a $500 allocation annually from the library budget. The majority of this sum goes towards acquisitions, and occasional honoraria for speakers. In-kind contributions provide event refreshments. The budget allocated for this event was as follows: opening reception $100, books $300, honorarium $400, advertising/ publicity $200, for a total of $1,000 allocated from the Library Board of Trustees.
Funders This program is funded entirely by the library and in-kind donations.
Challenges Organizers feel that it was challenging to include so many titles and to have such a broad theme. They also felt that insufficient planning time and limited publicity beyond the library hindered the success of this year’s event. In 2005, each committee member was assigned total responsibility for one of the four weeks. The results were disjointed and uneven, but did help the organizers to come up with a different strategy for next year.

In addition to zeroing in on just one compelling title next year, the committee will allow more lead-time for work on organizing, planning, and coordinating the next Presque Isle Reads program. The organizers also hope to tap into the library’s new reading group as a foundation of support and interest, and to also actively engage the University of Maine at Presque Isle community in addition to younger students and families.
For More Information
Contact Joe Zubrick,
PI Reads Coordinator
zubrick@maine.edu
or
Sonja Plummer Morgan,
Library Director
207-764-2572