Reading Is Recreation

"A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good."

 ~ Samuel Johnson, quoted in James Boswell, Life of Johnson (1791)

"Cultivate above all things a taste for reading. There is no pleasure so cheap, so innocent, and so remunerative as the real, hearty pleasure and taste for reading. It does not come to every one naturally. Some people take to it naturally, and others do not; but I advise you to cultivate it, and endeavor to promote it in your minds. In order to do that you should read what amuses you and pleases you. You should not begin with difficult works, because, if you do, you will find the pursuit dry and tiresome. I would even say to you, read novels, read frivolous books, read anything that will amuse you and give you a taste for reading."

 ~ Robert Lowe, 'Speech to the students of the Croyden Science and Art Schools' (1869)

Reading for pleasure is clearly not a revolutionary idea, though it is often frowned upon by some. We in the library world often find ourselves fighting the notion that people, especially kids, should only read "quality literature." I spent the last two summers heading up my library system's Summer Reading initiative. The traditional model for such programs has been signing up for them at the start of summer and getting rewarded with free books and other prizes at the end. We've been working to break the mold. Here are the "philosophical stance" pieces I wrote for our marketing and promotional departments to use as guidance in crafting their messages.

For summer 2016; theme: "On Your Mark, Get Set . . . Read!" (think sports and Olympics):

Read Freely and Triumphantly

When better than an election year to celebrate that fundamental American value of freedom? When better to exercise it than summer, when an abundance of free time is available, allowing for more pursuit of happiness? And one core source of human happiness is engagement with stories. We find our identities in the stories we tell about ourselves, we find connection with others when we experience their stories, and we find entertainment and escape when we immerse ourselves in stories that capture our imaginations. Summer means the freedom to explore new stories.

Summer Reading is the library’s vehicle to aid you in that pursuit. Just as athletes have Olympic competition to spur their quests for prowess and celebrate their achievements, Summer Reading offers prizes, goal setting, badges and certificates, and other measures of success. Those same athletes wouldn’t be pursuing mastery of their domains if they didn’t find innate pleasure in simply participating in their activities, though. Sport, for them, is first and foremost an enjoyable recreational pursuit. So it is with reading. While reading may enable self-improvement* the same way sports provide health benefits, we ultimately read because the activity of reading is fun in and of itself. Summer Reading means the freedom to read for pleasure.

So we invite you to join us this summer in reading pleasurable stories. If you aren’t sure which books you’re most likely to enjoy, ask a librarian—we exist to happily help you find what you need. Additionally, log what you read online or on paper for extra motivation and celebration, and you will be one of our many Summer Reading champions.

*Reading, like athletic pursuits, is a skill, and the more a skill is practiced the more proficiency grows. Reading during the summer prevents skill decay (and can even lead to improvement) in students who aren’t reading for school, thus boosting their academic achievement. Reading stories also physically and psychologically impacts the same parts of the brain as actual experiences, leading to gains in interpersonal skills, empathy, problem solving ability, and emotional intelligence.

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For summer 2017; theme: "Build a Better World":

Reading as Play – Building a Better Summer Reading Program

“Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do,” wrote Mark Twain 140 years ago in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He described the wealthy men who paid for the privilege of driving four-horse passenger-coaches as Play, “but if they were offered wages for the service, that would turn it into work and then they would resign.”

Current research on motivation shows Twain was indeed a “great and wise philosopher” (as he calls himself in the passage). Autonomy, the freedom to make one’s own choices, is key to making a pursuit fun; payment and rewards and external incentives cast the activity in an entirely different light, turning it into a forced task that is easy to resent and begrudge—they are ultimately de-motivating.

The library is dedicated to helping its community experience reading as Play and not as Work. In particular, our youth, who are especially engaged in the process of determining the distinctions between the two.  In 2017, we are applying to Summer Reading Twain’s insights into and that research on motivation.

No longer will prize books be given as rewards at the end of the summer; they will now be given as gifts at the start of summer to all who are interested. The books are not “payment” for Work performed, they are tools for Play with no strings attached. We want to help our youth build their own personal libraries that they choose for themselves to read as recreation.

We will be applying this philosophy in other, less conspicuous ways as well, and invite you to join us. Let’s make reading Play by taking all of the Work out of it. It is not an obligation. It is fun. And for it to be fun, it is a choice we applaud, not a task we reward.

This summer, we want to help you build your personal libraries so that your reading belongs entirely to you. We want to help you Play.

The nitty-gritty:
•    Limit one book per participant, please.
•    Reading logs remain an integral part of the process.
•    We will celebrate your reading accomplishments with you at the end of the summer with completion certificates and grand prize drawings.

And don’t forget: Check our event calendar regularly for all of the special activities we’ll have throughout the summer. Reading is only one of the many types of Play we offer.

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Maybe not the best pieces ever, but we were trying to communicate the philosophy, tie into the themes, communicate excitement, and prepare for push back. That last piece was especially important, because we're trying to change a mindset that's very ingrained in many parents and educators. It's a gradual process.