Amanda Bennett, Ada Public Library director, announced this week that the Ada Public Library has been chosen to be a World Book Night participant.

World Book Night U.S. is a celebration of books and reading held on April 23, when 25,000 passionate volunteers across America give a total of half a million books within their communities to those who don’t regularly read.

In 2012, World Book Night was celebrated in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, and Germany and saw over 80,000 people gift more than 2.5 million books.

Each year, 30 books are chosen by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. The authors of the books waive their royalties and the publishers agree to pay the costs of producing the specially-printed World Book Night U.S. editions. Bookstores and libraries sign up to be community host locations for the volunteer book givers.

The event occurs all day on April 23, believed to be the day William Shakespeare was born in 1564.   On that day Ada Library staff will be out and about in the community handing out books.