About PREFACE & SLO County Reads

PREFACE: The Cal Poly Shared Reading Program began seven years ago with a select group of students. Since then, the program has grown to serve all Cal Poly new students. Over the summer, students are assigned a designated book to read and then meet in small groups to discuss it during the Week of Welcome (WOW) orientation. The highlight of the experience is the free public author event during fall quarter.

Because of the success of the program, PREFACE partnered with the SLO City Library to form a community reads program. PREFACE collaborated with the SLO City Library in recruiting and training community volunteers to facilitate discussion sessions with students as well as providing off-campus discussion sessions specifically for community members. As a result of this overwhelming response, Preface expanded countywide in 2006 and unveiled a new name: PREFACE & SLO County Reads.