National Reading Group Month slated for October

The 2008 Summer Reading Program for children and teens was an overwhelming success at libraries all across New Jersey. I have hundreds of newspaper clippings about the exciting events New Jersey's public libraries offered this summer to keep our young people's minds active through interesting and unusual programs which encouraged exploration and reading.

Following that success, and with the children back in school, it is a good time to encourage adults to get into a reading program of their own. Last October, the Women's National Book Association inaugurated National Reading Group Month as a way to commemorate their 90th year as an organization. The New Jersey State Library and the New Jersey Library Association were proud to promote this effort because of our shared goals: the fostering of public awareness and enjoyment of reading by supporting reading groups.

Reading is often a very solitary pursuit, but being a part of a reading group adds a fun, relaxing social element, which stimulates discussion, gives different viewpoints and enhances the appreciation of whatever we are reading. Joining or even starting a local reading group will give you the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts with a friendly group of people from your community who are interested in reading the same genre, whether it be fiction, biographies or history, or the novels of Jane Austin, Ian Fleming or Nora Roberts.

Through the summer reading program, your children were exposed to reading discussion groups. Through these groups, they were given a forum to formulate and express their ideas and opinions about what they were reading, as well as to hear differing views and peaking their interest in reading other types of books. It gave the children confidence in expressing themselves which is so important in their social development.

Those advantages are not just for children, however. New Jersey has a very diverse population, with residents coming from such places as Latin America, the Caribbean, Vietnam, China, India and Pakistan. Many are faced with using English on a daily basis for the first time; some are just learning to read and speak English. One of the advantages of being in a reading group for these adults is that it gives them an opportunity to increase their "conversational literacy" in a supportive, close-knit group. Our libraries are very involved in promoting literacy in their communities and host many programs for those learning English, so as to help them better integrate into the mainstream.

This October, libraries across New Jersey will be sponsoring a variety of events to encourage the formation and continuation of reading groups. Libraries will be hosting author visits, lectures and theme events throughout the month. If you would like to start a reading group, your local librarian would be happy to help you organize one, suggest books and show you how to use online resources we have purchased, such as NoveList Plus, which will help you find books to suit every interest.

As the days get shorter, the temperatures get cooler and more time is spent indoors, I encourage you to get out to your library, get your library card, if you don't already have one, and get into a reading group. I am sure you will find it's a perfect way to keep you from slipping into hibernation until next April.
Norma E. Blake
Moorestown
New Jersey State Librarian