CARBONDALE — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s annual “Book in Every Home” campaign begins in December with help from a local bookseller.

Barnes & Noble in Carbondale is setting aside Dec. 5 as a day customers can use purchases to help the 433 children enrolled in six area Head Start centers.

Patrons can present a voucher beforetheir purchase, with a percentage of the net sale presented to “Book in Every Home” to buy additional children’s books.

The voucher is available online at the university’s “Saluki Times” Web site.

Erika Lowery, campaign chair and wife of SIU men’s basketball coach Chris Lowery, will host a special reading at the store at 10 a.m.

Over the last 14 years, members of the SIUC community and the community at large have donated or provided funds to buy more than 33,000 books. The goal this year is to collect at least 2,500 new preschool books by Dec. 18.

Lowery is excited about the prospects for this year’s drive. In addition to the Dec. 5 event at Barnes & Noble, Saluki men’s and women’s basketball fans have the opportunity to win great gifts when they donate a book at selected basketball games later this month.

Fans who bring a book to the Wednesday, Nov. 25, women’s game against Western Michigan or the Saturday, Nov. 28, men’s game against University of Illinois-Chicago, will receive a raffle ticket. The ticket gives fans the opportunity to win one of three prizes at that game -an autographed basketball, autographed media guide, or T-shirt. Both games begin at 7:05 p.m. at the SIU Arena.

People who want to buy books for the campaign are asked to choose books with large, colorful pictures that relate to the words on the page. The text of the story should be easy to follow, and books in English or in Spanish would be acceptable.

Drop boxes for the books are at the following campus locations: SIUC chancellor’s office, Anthony Hall; Law school library, Hiram H. Lesar Law Building; Student Center Information Station, first floor; Student Development Office, third floor, Student Center; Student Health Services, adjacent to the Student Recreation Center; Woody Hall, bursar’s payment area; Colyer Hall; Coach Chris Lowery’s office, Lingle Hall, adjacent to the SIU Arena.

A book drop location also will be set up at Murdale True Value & Just Ask Rental, 1915 W. Main St., Carbondale, and at First Southern Bank locations in Carbondale and Murphysboro.

— University Communications contributed to this report