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The Oklahoma Center for the Book
The Oklahoma Center for the Book (OCB) is a state affiliate of the Center
for the Book in the Library of Congress, and is organized to focus attention
on the vital role of books and reading in our lives. The Center promotes
the past, current, and future works of Oklahoma authors; promotes the
literary heritage of the state; and encourages reading for pleasure by
Oklahomans of all ages.
When the Library of Congress announced the granting of permission to States to become part of their program, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries assembled an advisory group and wrote a proposal. The Oklahoma Center for the Book became the fourth state center on February 28, 1986.
The Center is advised by a the Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book, volunteer board of directors from across the state, and for over twenty years has sponsored the Oklahoma Book Award program. Oklahoma Book Awards are given each year in fiction, non-fiction, children/young adult, poetry, and design/illustration categories for work written by an Oklahoman or about Oklahoma.
Along with the annual Book Awards, the Center honors an Oklahoman who has contributed to the state's literary heritage by giving the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is named for Norman historian Arrell Gibson, the Center's first president.
In addition to these activities, the Center brings readers and writers of all ages together at libraries and bookstores across the state for special events. The Center often supports other literary activities through grants and staff assistance.
For more information or to join the Center for the Book, see the contact information on the left column of this web page. For a PDF-format membership form go here (fill it out online, print it, and mail it in).
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Oklahoma Department of Libraries