Public Libraries as Mission Fields

Last night I read your article about the town that donated books to the public library in order to make them more accessible to Catholics in the area (“Finding Faith at the Library” April 21-28). What a brilliant idea!

I would like to do the same thing in my town. Could you provide me the list of materials that they bought and/or put me in touch with the person who organized this effort? I bet there are others who read the Register and would like to copy this great idea—maybe you could make the list public somehow.

KERRY HENNESSEY

Wakefield, Massachusetts

Editor's note: See the following letter …

I enjoyed your April 21-28 article on adding Catholic books to public library collections. Adding books to public library collections is important because I have found that the books I suggested for the public library were circulating 100 times as fast as those in the parish library.

As a result of my suggestions, about 40 Catholic and Christian books have been added to several libraries in my area.

Readers can learn how to suggest Catholic books, and which books to suggest, at my Web site—geocities.com/richleebruce.

I like to suggest spiritual classics like The Story of a Soul and The Imitation of Christ. These works have the three c's . They will be added to the collection, they circulate, they convert. One woman in the parish said the library copies of these books were responsible for her conversion.

RICHARD BRUCE

Portland, Oregon