Extracurricular Reading

Reading Enjoyment

There is ample evidence that students who are able to read and write and have access to library resources that interest and excite them, will develop a deeper love of reading and learning.

Investment in School Libraries, Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat Memorandum March 31, 2005 

Reading Promotion

E-Books: Since technology seems to be where students spend a vast majority of their time, offering them opportunities to read in that same platform should be added to a libraries goals to motivate students to read. 

Paper Back Exchange: There are many websites that provide online exchange of paperbacks. In addition providing an avenue for such an exchange in the school library of donated books or donating the libraries older fiction titles that may have been weeded from the collection.

Public Library Collaboration: With limited funding and reduced staffing that has occurred within school libraries and public libraries, an opportunity to work collaboratively could help to promote a program that may be unobtainable by either entity alone. For example, the two libraries could pool their resources to host a speaker or author visit.

Reading in the USA

Motivational Reading

In a recent study of barriers to extracurricular reading at the collegiate level, The Bureau of Labor Statistics 2007 American Time Use Survey found that on average adults engaged in leisure reading only 7 minutes on the weekend. This has no doubt lead to the decline in literacy rates as the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has found literacy scores for adults with bachelor degrees had dropped by 11 points  and graduate degree holders had dropped 13 points in the same time (Trott). There are many low cost or no cost programs to encourage leisure reading. The library media specialist can play an integral part of reading promotion through various avenues as indicated below.