What Does Your Summer Reading Say About You?

I found this article on the NPR books site on a page called 13.7: Cosmos and Culture, a blog of commentary set at the intersection of science and culture. 

In the article, author Tania Lombrozo searched out academic research on summer reading.  While what she found might not be surprising [reading choices are personal and based on your presonality], I enjoyed reading the original articles and studies she found. I was also excited to find this blog and poked around quite a bit.

The research Lombrozo identified reminded of the work of Catherine Sheldrick Ross, specifically her book Reading Matters: What the Research Reveals About Reading, Libraries, and Community. Last week, Ross was awarded the prestigious Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award from RUSA at the ALA Conference.  From the citation:

Sheldrick pioneered a way to transform the reference interview into a successful transaction for both reader and the librarian, thus enforcing the critical role libraries have in promoting literacy. This citation is presented to a librarian who has made significant contributions to library adult services.

Check out the NPR post or better yet, grab a copy of Reading Matters. You will learn a lot about yourself as a reader, and about how to better assess your patron's needs.