In our library our adult circulation numbers continue to increase. Patrons have discovered our young adult and large print collections. Many of our new patrons have been people who have lived in the area for years, but never bothered to come to the library. I believe this may be a sign of our stressed economy. Reading seems to have increased with the not-so-lovely winter weather we've had as well.
The NY Times article Online, R U Really Reading? discussed the decline of youth reading for fun and how much time kids spend online. I believe reading online is better than watching TV any day. However, having children in the school system today, I find the emphasis on the amount of time reading and measuring comprehension has eliminated "fun" reading for my kids. I am a firm believer that kids should spend lots of time reading, but as a parent, I have found it difficult to encourage (and instead need to require) them to read in today's world. It seems the more reading that is required, the less my kids turn to it as something fun to do. I'm not sure where the balance lies, but it would be nice if schools were able to focus a little less on testing requirements in order to allow kids more time to read for fun. What will happen when it's not something that's required for them? Will they turn to books as a pastime if they are viewed as "homework"? I'm not sure.
I have used many of the tools highlighted in this Thing as part of my everyday reading experience to help enhance the services at our library. Reading Group Choices and Reading Group guides have been sites our staff have used regularly to help find discussion questions for our library book club. I use What's Next at least once a week to help patrons find the next book in a series. I really appreciate all of the work that Kent Library has done to create the site.
On my Facebook page I have used WeRead almost from the start. I haven't found time to update it lately (I've been a little distracted by an addicting game called FarmTown), but have found it a great way to find books I may be interested in reading based on my previous book ratings. It's also a nice way to share what you're reading with Friends. I tried Visual Bookshelf, but had already entered all of my info into WeRead and didn't want to start all over. They seemed very similar to me.
I was excited to learn about the site What Should I Read Next. It looks like a resource I could use regularly to help patrons find something new to read.
I also added TwitterLit to my RSS feed because it looked entertaining, but chose not to send it to my phone. After feeding Twitter to my phone for a short time, I found it distracting and a little overwhelming to have my computer come alive in my pocket.
Right now I'm wishing I didn't have so many Things to finish yet because I could definitely spend more time exploring these type of sites. Reader's advisory is an everyday task for us and can prove challenging, especially in genres I am less familiar with.
The NY Times article Online, R U Really Reading? discussed the decline of youth reading for fun and how much time kids spend online. I believe reading online is better than watching TV any day. However, having children in the school system today, I find the emphasis on the amount of time reading and measuring comprehension has eliminated "fun" reading for my kids. I am a firm believer that kids should spend lots of time reading, but as a parent, I have found it difficult to encourage (and instead need to require) them to read in today's world. It seems the more reading that is required, the less my kids turn to it as something fun to do. I'm not sure where the balance lies, but it would be nice if schools were able to focus a little less on testing requirements in order to allow kids more time to read for fun. What will happen when it's not something that's required for them? Will they turn to books as a pastime if they are viewed as "homework"? I'm not sure.
I have used many of the tools highlighted in this Thing as part of my everyday reading experience to help enhance the services at our library. Reading Group Choices and Reading Group guides have been sites our staff have used regularly to help find discussion questions for our library book club. I use What's Next at least once a week to help patrons find the next book in a series. I really appreciate all of the work that Kent Library has done to create the site.
On my Facebook page I have used WeRead almost from the start. I haven't found time to update it lately (I've been a little distracted by an addicting game called FarmTown), but have found it a great way to find books I may be interested in reading based on my previous book ratings. It's also a nice way to share what you're reading with Friends. I tried Visual Bookshelf, but had already entered all of my info into WeRead and didn't want to start all over. They seemed very similar to me.
I was excited to learn about the site What Should I Read Next. It looks like a resource I could use regularly to help patrons find something new to read.
I also added TwitterLit to my RSS feed because it looked entertaining, but chose not to send it to my phone. After feeding Twitter to my phone for a short time, I found it distracting and a little overwhelming to have my computer come alive in my pocket.
Right now I'm wishing I didn't have so many Things to finish yet because I could definitely spend more time exploring these type of sites. Reader's advisory is an everyday task for us and can prove challenging, especially in genres I am less familiar with.
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I agree with your comment about required reading vs. fun reading. I too worry that too many kids view reading as a chore instead of entertainment/escape/adventure, etc. My other concern is when parents and teachers refuse to let kids (especially boys) read non-fiction, like fiction is somehow "better" and the non-fiction section (except for the books they'd need for homework) tainted somehow. It's very sad, really. Kids who are allowed/encouraged to explore the non-fiction often find all kinds of cool stuff to learn about.
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