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Community Spotlight: The Bookcase Project

Kenya Böes - Community Partnerships April 28, 2023

The annual Bookcase Project is one of our most prominent community partnerships at the Faulkner County Library that we look forward to every year. Collaborating with the Conway Kiwanis Club and the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas (CAPCA), our library serves as a distribution center for the sets of personalized bookcases and book starter kits that 50 Head Start children from disadvantaged backgrounds receive to help them succeed in their education and development of literacy skills. 


The Project, entering its 19th consecutive year, is a volunteer-led initiative founded by Jim Davidson in 2005, the nationally-syndicated newspaper columnist and author who saw a need to fulfill in Arkansas. Noticing the lower literacy rates at the local level, Davidson sought to implement a program that would aid in expanding opportunities for families and their children to have access to books. “We will never improve the problem of illiteracy in our nation, until we make reading a top priority in the homes of America again,” Davidson stated. 


Over time, organizations like Kiwanis began to get involved, leading to a statewide endeavor where children ages 3-5 are encouraged to begin reading in order to better ensure their future success, both professionally and personally. During October, The Bookcase Banquet serves as the primary source of funding for the construction of the bookcases. The banquet is also where status updates on our state’s literacy rates are shared, and committee members of the Bookcase Project Board, including our own Library Director, convene to inform the Department of Education of progress in their districts and celebrate milestones. 


The books and bookcases aren’t the only things the Head Start children are gifted with, either. Each bookcase is labeled with a nameplate of the recipient, and the books come with personalized bookmarks plus a stuffed animal to accompany as a reading buddy. This year, the children got to take home adorable unicorns and puppies with them. 


Since the Project’s founding, over 900 bookcases and starter kit sets have been awarded to preschoolers in Faulkner County. According to a research brief released by Amplify on February 16, 2022, the number of students nationally in grades K-5 at risk of not learning to read has increased during the pandemic. “The purpose of our literacy initiative is to reverse this trend and reduce the percentage of students who need additional support in reading,” said Richard S. Plotkin, chair of the Bookcase Project. 


Now in 2023, 50 more kids from Conway, Greenbrier, and Southside schools are getting the support they need. Check out these wholesome, heartwarming photos from the event below! 🦄 🐶 📚 


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Every Day is Right to Read Day! How You Can Protect Your Freedom to Read

Kenya Böes - Education and Recreation April 24, 2023


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Book bans are something that no library is immune to, and the effects can be devastating for communities. Not only is having access to information a constitutional freedom, but it is paramount to our advancement as a society. You’ve probably heard the famous quote from Winston Churchill, “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Book bans and other aims at censorship from our past have proven his point: erasure only begets ignorance, and spins a vicious cycle of injustice that threatens liberty for everyone. Efforts to more closely scrutinize educational institutions nearly doubled in 2022–the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom tracked over 1,269 attempts to ban books and other resources in libraries and schools. In the state of Arkansas, those same attempts are happening with greater frequency. Even our own library has been subject to a few book challenges over the past year, and we continue to combat opposition from the local to the legislative level. 


This week is National Library Week, a time that recognizes and supports readers, librarians, advocates, educators, and library lovers in their mission for providing knowledge. Monday, April 24th, is Right to Read Day, a call for all to defend against censorship and protect their right to read freely. This is also the day that the State of America’s Libraries Report is released, which includes the Top Ten Most Challenged Books for the previous year. But we can all agree that every day should be Right to Read Day, right?


According to the ALA, the most challenged books addressed topics on race, gender identity, sexuality, and reproductive health. 2022’s most challenged books were: 

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

4. Flamer by Mike Curato

5. Looking for Alaska by John Green & The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (these two books were tied in their number of national challenges at 55)

6. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

7. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 

8. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

9-10. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas; Crank by Ellen Hopkins; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews; and This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson (all four of these books were tied in their number of national challenges at 48)


Here’s an infographic that details the latest cases of censorship:


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So how can you help fight against book bans and keep your library accessible to all?


1. Check out books! The best way to keep a book on the shelf is to check it out. If our end of the year reports show statistics that prove banned books are being circulated and requested by the general public, it is harder to make an argument for removing them from the collection. 
2. Contact your elected officials: call or email your local representatives to give them your input on book bans happening in your district and any related bills they will vote on. If you don’t know your representative, you can find them on the Arkansas House of Representatives website by typing in your address and zip code here:  https://www.arkansashouse.org/learn/district-map. 
You can do the same to find your local senator here: https://senate.arkansas.gov/senators/senator-search/ 
3. Start a campaign: connect with others about book bans happening in your community and mobilize to speak out against them. Gather different groups and organizations in your area to attend legislative meetings or to coordinate a peaceful protest. The more publicized news of censorship gets and the more people become involved, the greater the chance of halting attempts or reversing laws that support book bans. 
4. Report censorship to the ALA: the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom can help defend your freedom to read. Submitting a report keeps them aware of any national attempts at censorship. 






Want to learn more about efforts to fight against book bans and how you can make a difference? Visit https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/! Happy reading!!


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Celebrate National Poetry Month With These Literary Masterpieces

Kenya Böes - Education and Recreation April 07, 2023


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Yes, it’s another post about a thematic month that’s widely celebrated! April is National Poetry Month, and this one actually occurs around the globe as the single largest celebration of literature. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, this is a special occasion that acknowledges the integral role of poets in our culture and society. Let’s just be honest–poetry is dang cool, and there’s so many different styles and stanzas, from haikus and sonnets to elegies and good ol’ free verse. 


But poetry is more than just a rhythmic art of expression. It helps us appreciate the world around us and serves as a reminder to emphasize with each other. It adds a beauty and depth to storytelling in a way that can be interpreted uniquely to every reader, beyond just the epic, comic, and tragic. Poetry is thought of by some as a mostly forgotten or undervalued craft, however in recent times it’s made quite the strong revival. 


The name of this year’s theme is “We Were All Meant for Something”, and as you delve into the captivating world of reading poetry (or perhaps even writing it), ask yourself these questions: what are you meant for? What purpose would you like to give to your life, and what kind of legacy would you hope to leave behind? Pretty deep subject matter to contemplate, we know. But that’s one of the points of poetry, right? To dig deeper. 


Philosophical discussions aside, we hope you enjoy this handpicked selection of the latest and greatest poetry in our library collection that fits well with the theme, and don’t forget to check out the 811.6s in our nonfiction sections for more!


This collection traverses the vast emotional terrain of fatherhood and raising a family, the way our lives are shaped by our lineage and institutions, how we come to see the world through a new lens in the eyes of generations after us, and the actions we take with this new perspective.


These poems are about survival and finding solace in the midst of existential threats, touching on the themes of race, mental health, and collective grief while reminding readers that apocalypse is a state of being, not a permanent status. 


The themes of motherhood, friendship, love, loss, and balancing it all within contemporary suburban life are explored, and how to push through the struggles to regain identity and purpose.


These poems urge the reader to embrace the consistency of change and serve as a reminder that you can make it through any weather, both internally and externally. The writer emphasizes the beauty and value you can create with these changes, and that you are in more control of your life than you may think.


In a lyrical, hard-edged fashion, this author invites us to redefine and reevaluate our spiritual and moral beliefs and decipher what kinds of revelations that pain, love, and grace can bring to our lives. Chapman tells a story of how life has been felt to its limits and can be transformed into art.


In this poetic memoir, Felix uses her dyscalculia–a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand number-based information–as a metaphor for the consequences of her miscalculations in love. Through a descriptive relationship with mathematics that deals with perception versus reality, she weaves a tapestry of healing and hope carried in the risk of intimacy. 


In another illustrative collection about becoming your best self by embracing change, Rupi Kaur challenges us to reflect on the past, present, and potential of ourselves through raw, honest conversations. Touching on themes of acceptance and community, the author reminds us that to help others we must first help ourselves.


At the intersection of language, history, culture, and identity is this prismatic collection of poetry centered around being of Native descent. Chabitnoy explores stories of family records, personal relationships, and attempts at erasure in order to reconnect with her community and stand firmly again from a life disrupted.


The anonymous poet’s latest installment embarks on a journey of studying oneself, inspiring the reader to look within for answers to the big questions. These poems on self-love, meditation, and meaning come paired with beautiful sketches that help bring the words to life on the pages.


In this ode to the Black experience, Cynthia Manick combines sweet observation with bitter truth on the themes of familial bonds, social commentary, introverted thoughts, peer expectations, and a celebration of the everyday lives of people of color.


Presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman features her famously groundbreaking poem spoken at the inauguration of Joe Biden, plus a collection of energizing poetry on social justice and politics that speaks to generations both young and old. 


This collection of poetry and prose on the pain of heartbreak and loss will encourage the readers to sit with their emotions and fully process them. Zebian allows us space to ask the important question of “how can we turn our pain into purpose and welcome happiness back into the fold?” 


Coping with the aftershock of his mother’s death, Ocean Vuong searches for a continuation in life through this deeply intimate second poetry collection. Shifting through memory, these poems delve into personal loss, the meaning of family, and the cost of being a product of war. Vivid and bold, Vuong’s words are a testament to finding peace in the face of violence and illuminating a path forward. 



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