Books, Glory, Awesomeness… How A YA Trivia Contest Reignited This Librarian’s Reading Fire

For those not in the know, Battle of the Books is like pub trivia without the booze, that instead focuses on a specific book list for each participating grade level, all while bringing TONS of teens from all over the city and county together in their love of reading (and the thrill of competition!). One of my favorite parts about this program is the collaboration that goes into suggesting book titles to make the final cut, which happens across the Library and even beyond Teen Services (teamwork makes the dream work!). And if you’re anything like me, you get to experience a new genre/author/writing style than what you might normally pick out for yourself to read.


A Year to Read

This year, I’ve set intentions to read much more than I currently do and engage in as many joyful experiences in my daily life as I possibly can. The catalyst for this isn’t the “new year, new me” resolutions that I normally make and break, but rather my experiences over the last 18 months working for the Library. This place is seriously joyful.


Setting New Goals

Traditionally at the end of the year/beginning of the new year I set new goals. Which means I take a look at what I’ve actually done throughout the previous year and decide on a (hopefully) new set of goals. Therein lies the problem for me: I’m hoping that I’m setting a new set of goals. Did I even accomplish my previous goals? This year, the answer is “Not really.” But does it matter?


Readers Live Longer Than Non-Readers

If you’re over 50 years old and read a book for thirty minutes a day, you’re likely to outlive your non-reading peers, according to a new study published in the September 2016 issue of Social Science and Medicine.


What It Means To Be A Librarian

Librarians are not educators, but we provide learning experiences and foster reading every day through the materials we provide or programs we offer for all ages.