ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 228 / C & R L N e w s Short story classics By Paula Elliot Reference Librarian W ashington State University How to promote the library’s literature collection through a summer series of readings. T h e fountain outside of Farrell L ibrary is one of the attractive elements on the Kansas State Univer­ sity cam pus, as it catches the July sunlight and sprays in the breeze. On T hursday mornings in sum m er, a large and hopeful sign occupies the walkway near the fountain, and w hen the Kansas breeze is stiff the sign falls over. A thoughtful pass­ erby will right it, perhaps responding to its mes­ sage, as m any will w hen it is in place. It reads, “Story Today at N oon,” and serves as an invitation to pause in the m iddle of the work-day for some en­ tertainm ent at the library. “Short Story Classics” is a program which, for the past two summers, has offered small b u t satis­ fied audiences a noontim e diversion in hearing short fiction read aloud. It had its beginnings in a fruitful collaboration w ith Antonia Pigno, the Mi­ norities Resource C enter librarian and now head of specialized collections at Farrell Library. I had re­ cently entertained a friend by reading aloud the stories of a newly-published author, and encour­ aged by the enjoym ent we both experienced, I sug­ gested to Antonia th a t we m ight present a “story hour” at the library, reading the short works of es­ tablished writers. I had m entioned it to the right person. In her position at the lib rary , A ntonia Pigno was long experienced at developing special program s, and was enthusiastic about im plem ent­ ing the plan. She approached the associate dean, Virginia Quiring, who cham pioned the proposal to a som ew hat resistant library adm inistration, and received approval for the tw o of us to co-coordinate the first season. I assumed the coordination of the second season, aided by Nancy W ootton, library assistant in the Audiovisual D epartm ent. The sup­ port of Virginia Q uiring, and the energetic and creative contributions of Antonia and Nancy are gratefully acknowledged in m aking the program a reality. At Kansas State University, “Short Story Clas­ sics” is a series of readings w hich, during July and August, has attracted weekly audiences num bering as m any as forty. The program finds its ancestry, obviously, in the library-sponsored “story hour” of our childhood. This report focuses on the process of selecting stories and readers, prom otion and p u b ­ licity, and public response to the program , and of­ fers guidelines for the development of such a pro­ gram at other institutions. It asserts the principle th a t the library exists not only to support teaching curricula and research, but also to foster the intel­ lectual and cultural life of the academic and civic com m unity w hich it serves. Naming the program An entire generation remembers the scene at the public or school library: a herd of children squirm ­ ing im patiently on makeshift sit-upons, w hile a li­ b rarian read aloud. (Another generation coming along is experiencing the same thing.) W e also re­ m em ber th a t hushed and attentive herd, each child q u ie t, r a p t , m a y b e o p e n - m o u th e d , s ittin g crosslegged or perhaps in th a t rubber-kneed, feet- splayed-out-behind position th a t only kids can get M a y 1984 / 229 in to ...c a n you see it? “Story H our” : T he title sug­ gested som ething a little less th a n dignified for aca­ deme. And so at F arrell L ibrary the event took on a classy nam e: “Short Story Classics.” But in fact “Story H our” is w h at it is, and in publicizing the event one is hard-pressed to circum vent the phrase. One publicity article (The Collegian, July 9, 1983) began: “Rem em ber sitting w ith other children at the knee of a librarian as she read a fascinating story on a sum m er afternoon? W ell, those days of the afternoon story hour are b a c k ...” Old tra d i­ tions die hard. T here’s a case for calling it as you see it. Planning the program Once past the basic concept, “Short Story Clas­ sics” begins to deviate from the old library “Story H o u r.” W here story hour was typically presented by one read er—the lib ra ria n — all the tim e, we felt th a t an attractive variety could be achieved not only in the m aterial selected, but in the readers themselves. This is w here a team approach is p ref­ erable to single-handed planning. Brainstorm ing is essential. So are contacts. B etw een us, A ntonia Pigno and I knew a num ber of likely readers, and together we planned whom we m ight approach w ith an invitation to read. In our prospective re a d ­ ers we looked for prior experience, such as poetry readings or am ateur th eatre, visibility and po p u ­ larity on cam pus, a balance in genders and vocal qualities, and a fair and w ide-spread representa­ tion of library and academ ic departm ents. Readers cam e from am ong such diverse academ ic areas as biochem istry, architecture, English, the d ean ’s of­ fice; and w ithin the library from areas such as a u ­ diovisual, circulation, the minorities center, and reference. Selecting the stories V ariety was the prim ary criterion, but choosing m aterial happened in a num ber of ways. Both co­ o rd in a to rs knew of c e rta in stories w h ich th ey w anted to read or have read. In some instances the coordinators w ould m atch stories to readers, and in others, invited readers w ould select their ow n sto­ ries. The advice w hich one reader (a poet) gave to another (a w riter of fiction), was “Just pick some­ thing you’d like to have w ritten yourself.” W hen the reader personally identifies w ith a story, it is obvious in the delivery. Someone w ith a Southern heritage read E udora W elty, a feminist read Tillie Olsen, and an outstanding am ateu r actor, a scien­ tist by discipline, gave a chilling rendering of “The Use of Force” by W illiam Carlos W illiams. A re­ source person w ith a strong literary background (such as A ntonia Pigno possessed) can m ake story selection less tim e co nsum ing an d fru s tra tin g . W hen the choice is left up to the readers, it is essen­ tial to obtain a synopsis of the proposed story, so th a t it m ay be evaluated for its com patability w ith others on the program . (This synopsis is also useful in publicity.) Some prospective readers had defi­ nite ideas about w h at to read; others willingly ac­ cepted suggestions, or needed tim e to consider dif­ ferent options. (A com plete list of stories, authors, and readers appears on the next page). Calista H ull reads a short story at KSU. 230 / C & R L N e w s When and where It was determ ined th a t the noon hour was the appropriate tim e to hold the readings. T radition­ ally at Kansas State University, numerous enter­ tainm ent events and fitness activities are available over the noon hour, sponsored by the student un­ ion, the recreational services office, or the theatre departm ent, for example. Fewer options occur in Readers came from diverse academic areas. the sum m ertim e, so the library was able to fill a need. Because of prohibitive heat outdoors, the readings were held on a open landing, halfw ay up and halfw ay down the library’s wide, w indow-lit staircase. The site has been less th a n optim al. Noise from the lobby travelling up th e stairw ell was something of a distraction. And though the stair­ well was expansive and light, ultim ately the air conditioning did not function there. On one impos­ sibly sultry day, locked windows were opened on the landing, to make th e environm ent more com­ fortable. Listeners settled early near them , wel­ com ing the breeze. D uring the hour, a violent w ind developed, embellishing a forceful and d ra ­ m atic reading, and a storm broke, inconveniently raining on some of the w indow seats. Visitors coop­ eratively moved aside so the w indow s could be shut, and the reading w ent on. The landing site had an advantage of being easy to locate, and it was accessible to passersby going up and dow n stairs. If seating was in adequate, th e audience could (and did) overflow onto the stairs. On ex­ tremely hot occasions, the readings were moved off the landing into a corner of the third floor reading room. A more ideal location will be sought for fu­ ture readings at the library. Publicity Introducing “Short Story Classics” was at the outset a multifaceted task. It was strongly felt by the coordinators th a t a personal approach was ex­ tremely desirable. In addition to contacting the O f­ fice of University Relations, w hich at Kansas State University acts as a campus-wide clearing house for news releases, the coordinators w rote personal let­ ters to faculty and University officials who would find the library’s offering of interest, and whose in­ fluence might encourage others to attend. A per­ sonal letter to the editor of the local newspaper re­ sulted not only in advance p u b lic ity , b u t in a review of the first reading. Since both of the coordi­ nators did a lot of personal contact work on cam ­ pus, each had an opportunity to tell m any people Short story classics read at the Farrell Library The first season “ G ood C o u n tr y P e o p le ,” by F la n n e ry O ’Connor; read by Jack C arpenter (Arts & Sci­ ences) . “In the G arden of the N orth American M ar­ tyrs,” by Tobias Wolff; read by Paula Elliot (Reference D ep artm en t). “Gimpel the F ool,” by Isaac Beshevis Singer; read by Steve Heller (D epartm ent of English). “L ullaby,” by Leslie Silko; read by Antonia Pigno (Minorities Resource C enter). “The O ther Side of the H edge,” by E.M . For­ ster; read by Ben Nyberg (D epartm ent of E n ­ glish). “I Stand Here Iro n in g ,” by Tillie Olsen; read by Calista Hull (C irculation D epartm ent). “The Use of F orce,” by W illiam Carlos W il­ liams; read by D avid Cox (D epartm ent of Bio­ chemistry) . “Forever and the E a rth ” and “Have I Got a Chocolate Bar for Y ou,” by Ray Bradbury; read by Pat W eisenburger (Architecture and Design L ib rary ). The second season “ T h e S ta n d a rd of L iv in g ,” by D o ro th y Parker; read by Paula Elliot (Reference D e­ partm ent) . “Lost in the Museum of N atural H istory,” by Pedro Pietri; read by Jim H am ilton (D epart­ m ent of Philosophy). “The L ottery,” by Shirley Jackson; read by D arla G erm eroth (D epartm ent of Speech). “ Reminiscences of C h ild h o o d ,” by D ylan Thomas; read by Ifan Payne (College of Archi­ tecture and Design). “ T h e C u t-G la ss B o w l,” by F. S co tt Fitzgerald; read by Nancy W ootton (Audiovi­ sual D epartm ent). “The E arthquake in C hile,” by Heinrich von Kleist; read by Ron Hoffm an (Media Center, College of E ducation). “A Summer’s T ragedy,” by Arna Bontemps; read by Jeannette James Saxon (D epartm ent of T h eatre). “Eupom pus Gave Splendour to Art by N um ­ b e rs ,” by Aldous Huxley; read by C aro ly n Smith (Serials D ep artm en t). “The Artificial Nigger,” by Flannery O ’Con­ nor; read by Don Hedrick (D epartm ent of E n ­ glish). M a y 1984 / 231 about the upcom ing series. W ord of m outh is a pow erful publicity agent. W ith th e m ailings out, a three-phased flyer cam paign was instituted. In the m iddle of M ay, a small handbill appeared around th e lib rary and around cam pus, simply an n o u n c­ ing th a t “Short Story Classics,” a series of readings, w ould occur at the lib rary d u rin g June and July at tw elve noon on th e th ird floor la n d in g , a n d — sorry, no lunches, please. Shortly a fte rw a rd , a letter-sized listing of stories and readers was m ailed out to all particip an ts and o ther interested persons. At the end of May a b rig h t yellow poster appeared, not only listing stories and readers, b u t also con­ tain in g a brief b u t enticing b lu rb for each. All fly­ ers and posters w ere low -budget, quick-production endeavors, photocopied in-house at no p articu lar expense. Posters w ere placed on cam pus bulletin boards, and distributed to academ ic departm ents by student assistants. The Collegian, the cam pus new spaper, responding to a personal letter and the University’s news release, sent a student reporter each year to talk w ith the coordinators of the series. This w as th e lib ra ria n ’s m o m en t to rem in d th e cam pus population th a t the lib rary happily p ro ­ vides recreational reading as well as course-related resources. In plan n in g th e series A ntonia Pigno h ad sug­ gested th a t th e readings be tap ed , in a recording session separate from the public events. Readers w ere scheduled to record w ith th e Audiovisual D e­ p a rtm e n t, w hich oversaw th e technical details. In 1982 these tapes w ere d onated to th e M an h attan Public L ib rary for use in its talking books program . In 1983 the recordings w ere used in sum m er E n ­ glish classes. Flyers out, phone calls m ade, in ter­ view s given, a n d ta p in g s u n d e rw a y , w h a t r e ­ m ained was to enjoy the T hursday offerings. At the event O n th e m o rn in g of th e re ad in g th e sign was placed outside th e library, as m uch a celebratory gesture as an advertising one. In addition, a sign giving directions to the th ird floor landing was stra ­ tegically placed inside. T he design of both signs al­ lowed for a space in w hich th e w eek’s story, a u ­ thor, and read er could be advertised. At the stroke of noon (prudently w aitin g for th e carillon to finish playing), one of the coordinators announced the d a y ’s re a d e r, m aking a b rief in tro d u c tio n . T he reader then introduced th e story to be read, com ­ m enting on th e a u th o r and the w ork. T he extent of the com m entary varied, according to th e readers’ concerns. Who attends? Students, faculty, office workers at the univer­ sity, and tow nspeople w ere the groups th a t m ade up th e audience. Some (perhaps half) w ere regu­ lars, fa ith fu lly com ing each T h u rsd a y at noon. O thers w ere one-tim ers. Some cam e to hear a p a r­ ticular story, others to hear anything. Some cam e because they knew th e reader, or the au th o r, or the title; others cam e because they d id n ’t. From week to week it was difficult to discern a p a tte rn of a t­ tendees and their reasons; an inform al survey cor­ roborated th e varied and absolutely unpredictable representation in th e group. A ttendance seemed higher in th e first year th a n th e second, b u t no con­ clusive h ead counts w ere m ade. O n good days, Story selection did not affect attendance. roughly forty people w ere in the audience. O n the w orst, there w ere a lonely six. Audience response T he survey, adm inistered on th e last day of the second season, was intended in p a rt to discover story preferences. Results, how ever, suggested th a t th e preferences of th e audience w ere as varied as th e in d iv id u a ls in th e gro u p ; w h a t one person liked, another one d id n ’t. Story selection does not ap p ear to affect atten d an ce significantly. T he sur­ vey revealed th a t m any different m edia reached those w ho attended. R adio, new spapers, posters, and w ord of m outh all h ad contributed to public­ ity. T h e m ost reg u la r group of attendees w ere a handful of elderly townspeople. (This suggests th a t a m arket for the academ ic lib rary ’s offerings exists outside th e trad itio n a l cam pus com m unity.) U ni­ versity staff also m ade up a regular segm ent of the audience. O ne research biologist indicated th a t she looked fo rw ard each week to th e event. A secretary said she m arked her calendar in advance for the sum m er. A journalist w rote to th e dean of libraries, com m ending the series and adding: “I think such efforts go a long w ay tow ards reintroducing people to th e pleasure libraries have to offer. Just as im ­ p o rta n t, th a t pleasure is tinged w ith th e b itte r­ sweet realities of life. It all serves to rem ind us of som ething w e often forget—our com m on h u m a n ­ ity .” He retu rn ed in th e second season an d b rought friends. According to th e survey, the audience ob­ served the sam e draw backs to location as did the coordinators. Some rem arked th a t it w ould be fa ­ vorable if lunches could be eaten du rin g th e re a d ­ ings. M ore th a n one asked th a t th e event be year- round. Several expressed genuine appreciation for the lib rary ’s efforts, and all professed a willingness to support fu tu re sim ilar program s. Preferences w ere indicated for stories w ith a simple n arrativ e line an d discernible, tra d itio n a l stru c tu re . Re­ quests w ere for foreign literatu re read by native speakers, especially th ird -w o rld stories, and for a 2 3 2 / C & R L N e w s continued variety in selections. O ne respondent sim ply said, “Surprise m e .” These rem arks encouraged th e lib rary to con­ tin u e “Short Story Classics.” Respondents’ sugges­ tions w ill be taken into account in p lan n in g fu tu re seasons. T he list of prospective readers is in process at this w riting. A series of readings is one w ay in w hich th e en ­ joym ent of lite ra tu re m ay be p rom oted. It serves to rem in d all comers th a t read in g for pleasure is one of life’s satisfying diversions, an d th a t being read to is just plain en tertain in g . As one atten d ee w rote, “Thanks for bringing back oral in terp as an a rt fo rm .” As m uch as a series of readings entertains th e listener, it also affords th e invited readers an o p p o rtu n ity to be seen in a different an d perhaps unexpected light, and to co n trib u te th e ir tim e and ta le n t to th e com m unity. Getting started Those w ishing to create a series of library-based readings m ight consider th e follow ing suggestions: • I t is advantageous for m ore th a n one person to be involved in th e coordination of th e p ro g ram . A te a m assures a diversity of lite ra ry a n d artistic backgrounds, concerns for th e lib rary , and con­ ta cts in th e co m m u n ity . T h e c o lla b o ra tio n also provides for back-up d u rin g sum m ertim e vacation schedules. • A v a r ie ty of sto rie s a n d re a d e rs m u st be achieved. A literary b ackground is helpful in m ak­ ing decisions. A dditionally, suggestions can be g ar­ nered from friends an d colleagues. Short Story I n ­ dex a n d th e e v er-a v a ila b le subject catalo g w ill yield anthologies of classics and recent prize w in ­ ners. L ittle m agazines can be explored for new fic­ tion. • I n publicizing th e series, a personal letter cam ­ paign is helpful. Posters an d flyers should be sim ­ p le , d ire c t a n d a ttr a c tiv e , a n d m ig h t in c lu d e blurbs ab o u t each story. •S elect a quiet, b u t easily accessible location. Provide com fortable seating, perhaps setting up a stool or a raised area for th e reader. In d eterm in in g th e tim e for th e readings, consider your lib ra ry ’s an d y o u r in s titu tio n ’s daily ro u tin e a n d tra ffic flow. D epending on your lib ra ry ’s policy, establish guidelines for eating an d d rinking d u rin g th e re a d ­ ings. •Y o u r readers are c o n trib u tin g valuable tim e an d ability, and deserve recognition. R em em ber to th a n k them verbally an d in w ritin g for th eir p a rtic ­ ip atio n in th e lib ra ry ’s efforts. As a t KSU, a letter m ig h t com e from th e dean or director of th e li­ b rary . If, as at KSU, a lib rary staff function occurs d u rin g th e sum m er, m ake your readers th e h o n ­ ored guests. • T a k e pleasure in th e project. It requires extra w ork, efforts at com m unication, perhaps a crea­ tive overload. Rut th e u n d ertak in g yields satisfac­ tion on m any levels. W e are rem inded th a t th e lib rary in our cu ltu re has trad itio n ally fostered th e p u rsu it of h u m a n v al­ ues, an d has been a refuge from daily concerns. In our tim e, th e lib rary th reaten s to relinquish its re ­ sponsibility for th e hum anistic enterprise. O u r con­ cern w ith th e efficient organization an d transfer of “in fo rm atio n ” has resulted ironically in o u r failure to recognize th e varieties of in form ation, w hich in ­ clude am ong them th e lite ra ry an d artistic experi­ ence. O u treach offerings reestablish th e lib ra ry as a place of pleasure as well as of w ork. If th e academ ic com m unity exists to tran scen d th e w orld a t large ra th e r th a n reflect it, th e n th e academ ic lib rary , in its increased visibility, can ideally co n trib u te to th e academ ic mission, not only by p ro tectin g an d p ro ­ viding its holdings, b u t by pro m o tin g them w ith enthusiasm an d w ith pride. ■ ■ E d ito r’s Note: The author is currently coordinating a sim ilar series o f short story readings a t W ashing­ ton State University. C L R selects four A C R L members as 1 9 8 4 -8 5 m anagem ent interns T h e C ouncil on L ib ra ry Resources has selected six lib ra ria n s for its 1984-85 A cadem ic L ib ra ry M anagem ent In te rn P rogram . F o u r of them are ACRL m em bers: Joseph J. B ranin, University of G e o r g ia ; N ic h o la s C . B u rc k e l, U n iv e r s ity of W isconsin-Parkside; C arolyn Louise H arris, C o­ lu m b ia University; an d Paul D ouglas M etz, V ir­ ginia Polytechnic In stitu te an d State University. T h e o th e rs c h o sen a re Ja m e s A lan C o g sw e ll, P rinceton, and A rlyne A. Jackson, M IT. T h e objective of th e M anagem ent In te rn P ro ­ gram is to help o u tstan d in g individuals b ro ad en th e ir experience and enhance th eir m an ag em en t skills. Interns spend one academ ic year aw ay from th eir hom e institutions, w orking w ith lib rary d i­ rectors an d senior ad m inistrators a t research li­ braries. E ach p a rtic ip a n t receives a g ran t (up to a to ta l of $25,000) equal to th e salary an d benefits th a t w ould have been p aid by th e hom e institution. L ibraries a t th e University of C hicago, C o lu m ­ bia U niversity, E m ory U niversity, U niversity of G eorgia, Johns H opkins University, an d N o rth ­ w e s te rn U n iv e rs ity w ill serv e as ho sts fo r th e 1984-85 interns. ■ ■ On Microfilm. . .from Research Publications The Thomas Register Easy Access to a Renowned Reference Vital information on American business and industry is easily accessible with The Thomas Register. 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