Atchison County Library Director Bob Simpson has been included in a national committee that will help guide artwork for the 2022 Collaborative Summer Reading Program. Each year, the program presents libraries promotional Summer Reading themed merchandise such as reading bags, book marks, posters, and more.

Bob was chosen from a field of 93 volunteers and will join 11 other librarians from across the country in varied states such as Michigan, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Utah and New York. The committee’s theme for 2022 will be “Oceanography” and the members will assist children’s artist Sophie Blackall.

Blackall has won Caldecott awards recently for her books Hello Lighthouse (2019) and Finding Winnie: The True Story Of The World’s Most Famous Bear (2016). Both of Blackall’s books are available to borrow from The Atchison County Library. The Collaborative Summer Reading Program strives to reflect fun, inclusion, theme and diversity in its offerings.