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Build Strong Readers
March 3, 2008

There are many factors that work against youth literacy, sprouting more and more reluctant readers every day. Once we get them in the library the opportunities for fostering a lifelong passion for reading are endless. The challenge is big, but extra resources and your library community can help you create a strong group of future bibliophiles!

• Reaching Reluctant Readers - This course offers varied ideas for libraries to implement in order to stimulate an interest in reading.
• Readergirlz: An Online Book Community Celebrating Gutsy Girls in Life and Lit This online community is a place for girls to connect with each other and build strong ties around reading, a key catalyst for empowerment.
• Promoting Reading Among Boys: Reasons and Methods - This comprehensive paper presents recent research on the declining readership of boys and offers ways that librarians can reverse this distressing trend.
• Beyond Angst: What's New in Literature and Resources for GLBT Youth and Their Allies - Meet the specific needs of your GLBT youth patrons and initiate a love for reading in the process.
• Help create a shared online collection of materials that create strong readership. The Turnaround Titles discussion is where you can add titles that have helped change the tide of youth reader apathy at your library.

Giving young readers a platform to voice their opinions is another idea. The Pacific Northwest Library Association's Young Reader's Choice Award is coming up in mid-March, and this post from All Aboard refers to the helpful nominee discussion guides from Multnomah County Library.

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