Scranton Reads keeps the written word alive

Scranton Reads: One City, One Book: 10th Anniversary Party, Fri., Sept. 30, 4 p.m., Albright Memorial Library (520 Vine St., Scranton). For full list of events, visit scrantonreads.org.

When Ray Bradbury wrote “Fahrenheit 451” in 1953 as a commentary on the potential downfalls of a television-obsessed society, he couldn’t have possibly known the significance it would have in 2011.

In a world where movies and television shows are a click away, and thanks to iPads, iPhones and e-readers, even those interested in reading are turning to electronic devices, the appeal of a good old-fashioned paperback or hardcover book has dwindled. Well, maybe not completely.

There are still some people interested in saving the printed word, and they are behind the 10th Scranton Reads: One City, One Book, which is celebrating its decade of reading encouragement with an anniversary party on Friday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. at the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton. A month-long community event, Scranton Reads will be held throughout October with a dual purpose.

“The whole goal behind it is to get everyone in the community to read one book and have a shared experience around that book,” said Sheli McHugh, Scranton Reads co-chair and cataloging and metadata librarian at the Weinberg Memorial Library at the University of Scranton.

This year, that book is the aforementioned “Fahrenheit 451,” a story set in a future society where reading is illegal and firemen start fires to burn books.

“We thought, with it being the tenth year, we wanted to do something that had more importance about reading and the future of reading,” McHugh said. “So it kind of all ties together in that way.

“With bookstores closing and e-readers and e-books and everything, this topic is more relevant than ever before. Some things within the book are really happening, so it’s a really good time to be having those conversations.”

In addition to a slew of discussions, lectures and other activities relating to the topics in “Fahrenheit 451,” this year’s project features two new contests, a book cover redesign and an essay contest.

“(We’re) asking people to write an essay on what the world would be like without books or how technology has changed literature,” McHugh said. “And that’s open for students, and there’s an adult age-group as well.”

All of the events happening throughout the month are free, and organizers of the event hope to not only appeal to a younger audience, but also to use the book as a unifying thread.

“Everybody has so much going on, and everybody has different interests,” McHugh said. “And this is really a way to come together and talk to people that you don’t normally talk to that are outside of your circle. You can jump into a book discussion and really get to know your community through a work of literature.”