Programming Librarian » Blog » 2011 » March » Featured Library: Pierce County System

Pierce County Reads logo

Pierce County Reads logo

Timothy Egan, <em>The Big Burn</em>

Timothy Egan, The Big Burn

Featured Library: Pierce County Library System

Angela Hanshaw | March 01, 2011

Pierce County Library System in Tacoma, Washington, will launch its fourth annual Pierce County Reads communitywide reading event this week. This is the first year readers were asked to vote for a book, and The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Pulitzer Prize winner Timothy Egan was finally selected. The book details the Great Fire of August 1910, which burned millions of acres in eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana, destroying five towns and leaving at least eighty-five people dead.

The topic allows for a variety of programs related to the Northwest, including:

  • Book discussions: Readers should bring their ideas, questions, and insights about The Big Burn for discussions led by library staffers.

  • Create a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary: Jim Ulrich from Wild Birds Unlimited will show how to turn a yard into a habitat that attracts birds and other wildlife.

  • Mighty Disasters: Authors Rob and Natalie McNair-Huff will discuss local disasters and disaster preparedness and sign copies of their book Washington Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival.

  • Mountain Fever: Jim Ross of Mount Rainier National Park will tell stories of the first two Mount Rainier climbs.

  • Our Forested Commons: Kelda Miller talks about the study and design of sustainable landscape, or permaculture, in forest ecologies maintained through fire.

  • Gardening with Native Plants: Wilhelmina Heisterkamp with the Washington Native Plants Society will show how to use drought-tolerant, native ornamental and edible plants in the home landscape to draw wildlife.

  • Outdoor Photography: Photographer Greg Farley is set to focus on wilderness conservation as he teaches techniques for photographing Mount Rainier and other wild areas.

  • Pierce County Fire and Rescue: Participants will learn about firefighting, equipment, and fighting forest fires.

  • Stories about Mount Rainier: The Fireside Story League will tell tales of Mount Rainier, conservation, fire, and forests.

  • Culminating event: Timothy Egan, author of The Big Burn, is set to speak and sign books at the Sharon McGavick Conference Center at Clover Park Technical College on April 30.

Many programs will be held multiple times at the system’s various branches. Participants are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food donation for Emergency Food Network.

Angela Hanshaw is Program Officer/Web Editor for the ALA Public Programs Office.

Tags:

Share Your Thoughts