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The Children's Literature Centre
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Centre HistoryThe Spring Festival of Children's Literature was founded
by Patricia Hancock, Thomas Palardy, and William Bingman to honor R.
Margaret Hamilton and Betty Roemmelmyer upon their retirement from Frostburg
State College, after more than thirty years of service. After a one year
hiatus, the Spring Festival, under the direction of Dr. William S. Bingman,
continued to grow and develop into an established event featuring
presentations by nationally known authors, illustrators, poets, and
storytellers. In addition, participants have had the opportunity to
experience informative small group sessions on a wide range of related
topics. From the outset, enrollment for the Festival has been carefully
monitored to ensure quality for the visiting authors, illustrators, and
participants. |
In 1985, buoyed by the success of the Spring
Festival, the Centre's staff recognized the region's need for continuous
accessibility to quality literature and established The Fall and Spring
Author Series to address that need. This evening lecture series,
co-sponsored by The Frostburg State Library and Educational Professions
Department, has continued to provide community exposure to the literary
works of prominent authors. In addition, area schools, through affiliation
with the program, are given the opportunity to introduce real-life authors
to their students through scheduled presentations. |
Building on the success of the Festival and Author Series, the staff began to explore and formulate plans for The Center for the Study and Dissemination of Children's Literature, which gained University recognition in 1989. Since the Center's inception, other programs have been created. The Summer Author Institute has been developed as a mechanism to reach classroom teachers and children's literature advocates. It is designed to spark an interest in children's authors and illustrators and to show the relationship between their works and the development of literacy. Now in its sixth year, this one week celebration offers an intense study of respected authors and their literary works, and provides the personal contact often lacking in a more formal setting. In addition, evening presentations by the participating authors allow for further regional involvement. In 1996, our name became The Children's Literature Centre at Frostburg State University, which now serves as the umbrella under which each of the aforementioned events functions and future endeavors may flourish. As the Centre evolves and additional funds become available, past successes will support the establishment of new ventures and give credibility to its expanded mission, which is to meet the literacy needs of our region. |
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