225BatonRouge.com

The library receives Harry Potter books weeks before the release date, but has to keep them under wraps. Employees even have to sign an agreement with the publisher promising not to read the texts.

To Mary Stein, the Harry Potter series and Oprah’s Book Club are to be congratulated as the two best things to happen to the world of literature in the past century.

“I hold them single-handedly responsible for raising the awareness of reading for pleasure,” says Stein, assistant library director of the East Baton Rouge Library. “These books really get people excited about reading. It’s a wonderful connecting point helping them grow into other works of literature.”

This month’s publication of Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows marks the 7th and final installment in the series.

The big day is July 21. “I fully expect to have people lining up outside the store starting at 7 o’clock for the midnight release,” says one local Barnes & Noble employee.

Stein, who’s worked for the library since 1984, has never seen a book series affect readers the way Harry has. His character hit the market with readers hungry for something new.

“He’s not perfect; he’s an outsider,” Stein says of the unlikely, bespectacled hero. “As he grew up, adults really began to identify with him and the difficult choices and situations he was placed in. It’s really a book that transcends all ages.” jkrowling.com