AMHERST — Worried that fewer people are reading for pleasure — including some students arriving at college having never finished a book in high school — the Jones Library is launching a summer campaign to get its community reading again.
The campaign, called We Read!, kicks off this summer across the library’s main branch, temporarily located at 101 University Drive while its Amity Street building undergoes a $46.1 million expansion and renovation, as well as its North Amherst and Munson Memorial branches.
“We want to help people fall in love with reading again, or for the first time,” said Library Director Sharon Sharry. “This is more about getting people to read again, and here are examples of what you can do. We want people to call themselves readers.”
While modern technology gives people many ways to consume the written word, and absorb information, whether it be from reading a hard-copy book or an e-book or listening to an audiobook, there is a growing sense for library professionals and academics that this is not always happening.
The concern has been raised by Austin Sarat, president of the Jones Library trustees board, who has taught at Amherst College since the 1970s. When the final beam was placed at a topping-off ceremony for the Jones project in March, Sarat said he worried about the future of the library as an institution because some of the students in his classes have not read a book throughout high school. The library, he said, needs to be on the front lines of the battle for literacy.
Staff at the library have embraced this mission, operating on the belief that “any reading is good reading.” With summer underway, the library is offering book clubs for children up to age 10, teenagers and adults, along with a wide range of reading options — picture books for the youngest patrons, graphic novels for teens and traditional novels for everyone else.
Everyone on the front lines at the library has stories about what they are seeing.
Mia Cabana, the children’s librarian, said library professionals have known about the growing challenges with reading, but didn’t expect that it would begin showing up even at a local college. Still, she said for Sarat to raise the concern shows how there is crossover between the academic life on college campuses and public libraries.
Working in a community like Amherst, with literate people, there is always a volume of books people check out, and appreciation for the work of librarians, Cabana said.
The campaign adds on to what is already being done. “We’re trying to do it in a way that welcomes people in,” Cabana said.
A website explains, “We are here to help people rediscover and explore the awe and joy of reading, find themselves in the books they read, and open doorways to new places, people and ideas.”
Cabana said encouraging reading is just one of the many services the library offers, including to the youngest patrons. “It’s so exciting to see kids reading anything,” Cabana said.
The library community has also championed graphic novels, books with a combination of images and words that provide empathy and understanding that are targeted to a teen audience.
“Teens do read a lot, even if not in conventional ways,” Cabana said.
Cecilia Jezek, head of young adult services, has been signing up teens for summer reading, but is also using this as an opportunity to get parents and caregivers signed up as well, even if they put up some resistance to the idea that they should be part of an adult reading program.
There are incentives, too, earning gift cards in the challenges and if certain thresholds of success are reached. Jezek said she wants all to be together in seeing themselves as book readers.
Janet Ryan, head of programming, said flyers and the library website, book clubs and author events, will all be talking about the campaign, which should shine a spotlight on the challenges for libraries.
Linda Wentworth, head of collections, observed that the campaign was brought to the Amherst Pride event last month. “We’re trying to get the public to take part,” Wentworth said.
Wentworth said the 15 minutes someone may be scrolling through messages or looking at a cellphone might have been spent reading a book is a difficulty.
“A lot of people we serve are very, very busy, and having books in different formats helps people,” Wentworth said.
While it’s easy to blame cellphones, Cabana said the influence of technology makes it easier to read, and there are helpful mechanisms, such as the automatic renewals and no longer having overdue fines.
Librarians also like telling others about their experience. “People are so eager to share a book recommendation,” Cabana said.
The library displays most popular books, typically using the Indie Best Seller List.
Sean Smith, head of borrower services, said he likes to do reader advisories, having them know about staff pick selections. “We’re constantly thinking about how to get our recommendations out there,” Smith said.
One of the annual collaborations is the “On the Same Page” program, creating excitement around a specific author and had children’s program to go along with it.
This year, the focus was Leila Philip’s book “Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America.”
Petra Pendroff, head of branch services, said she sees patrons and branches inspiring each other to build connections.
Such is the case with the cookbook club that reads a cookbook and then shares a meal together, space to meet neighbors and each other, get exposure to more cultures and topics.
“For adults, in particular, that’s been special,” Pendroff said.
In a similar way, she said that families can help the youngest readers. “It can be about finding that one book that a kid will read,” Pendroff said.
Betsey Dick, head of technical services, who orders the library’s e-books and audiobooks, said those formats can be a way to start a conversation with patrons about what to read next.
“All of our staff are happy to talk books at any time,” Dick said.
People shouldn’t be shy about approaching staff, including those who may not be reading much. “That safe space is a key,” Sharry said.
Though the Jones is in a temporary office building until the building project is done, the new facility should support the We Read! campaign.
Ryan said that there will be new spaces to read and will be many spots to settle in. “The library can be that place to indulge yourself in reading,” Ryan said.
Those who work at the Jones observe that the work of the We Read! campaign isn’t about achieving literacy, per se, but rather helping patrons to check books out from the library and then to actually read them.
“If you show me someone who doesn’t read, they probably haven’t been given the right book,” Sharry said.
