“This initiative is a major step in realizing what two great Libraries working together can do,” said Waller McGuire, Executive Director of the St. Louis Public Library. “We have a unique opportunity to create a program that can grow beyond the boundaries of St. Louis and have more people than ever reading.”

County Library Director Charles Pace noted, “The Read St. Louis program is an excellent example of St. Louis Public and St. Louis County Libraries working together to accomplish great things for the region. This project is the result of a wonderful collaboration between the two Library systems. We are delighted to partner with the City Library on this important reading initiative.”

Read Saint Louis is a communitywide initiative developed by St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library to encourage St. Louisans to read and discuss books. It is an annual program, commencing in 2009, that features different books and authors every year. At the core of the program is a belief that making reading fun, exciting and occasionally educational, will stimulate a passion for lifelong learning in all of us.

St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library will host events with each of the featured authors and a variety of programs and activities designed around each book. Each year, Read St. Louis will showcase books selected by the two libraries from at least five distinct categories. In 2009, the categories are: classic fiction, modern fiction, non-fiction/memoir, young adult and children’s fiction.