I know that everyone has their eyes on the posts about 2023 right now-- what was best, what was popular, what defined the year, etc... Bu in classic Becky fashion, I want to pivot today and instead talk about Reading Challenges for next year. Well, for any year really, but I will use the NoveList 2024 reading challenge, which my colleague Yaika Sabat recently posted on their blog.
When the two of us were together last week at ARRTCon we talked about reading challenges and the different roles they play in our lives as librarians working with leisure readers, how we have used them for ourselves, and to help our readers. So today, I am going to use Sabat's post (with her permission) to frame today's discussion here on the blog.
First, there is the obvious as Sabat writes in the post:
Many of us get into a reading rut and only realize it once we change up what we're reading. We're all about trying new things to broaden our reading habits. So, to help you easily add variety to your TBR, we're continuing our tradition of giving you a challenge prompt for each month of the year.
Reading Challenges help push us as readers. They give us a book to read that we wouldn't have picked on our own. They are a great way to shake us out of our routine and ruts. And when we post a reading challenge for our patrons, we help them discover great reads they wouldn't have found without our intervention-- which is when we show our worth.
Second, even if you don't do the Reader Challenge it is a great inspiration for displays. Again, from Sabat's post:
You can even use the challenge to inspire displays or programs at your library. Create a display pairing movies and books for March or highlight your manga collection for May. Host a silent book club for April, where readers can come and read their book individually but in the same space as others. There are so many ways that you can make each month's challenge work for your library.
Even if all you do is bookmark her post, you have 12 displays done for you.
Third, and this is a Becky mantra-- you can add these prompts to the cache of conversation starters I have been talking about in detail during 2023. Here is the link to all of my posts labelled "Conversation Starter" and here is the specific post with my directions on how to turn conversation starters into interactive displays.
And fourth, because well, I am a broken record sometimest, previous year's reading challenges work just as well as the current ones. Click here for NoveList Reading Challenges from past years. Also you can use any reading challenge from any resource or all of them to do everything in this post. Crowdsource many different reading challenges from a variety of places AND use backlists to get display ideas, increase your cache of conversation starter questions to use in rotation, etc...
For 2024 why not try to create a reading challenge for your patrons and make it work for any and all readers, at all ages levels. Hand it out at the circulation desk, all other service desks, and offer it up in your online spaces. Encourage people to come in and get a small prize (book mark, pen, sticker) when they complete a month. Encourage families to do it together. Maybe even plan a larger prize lottery for those who do all 12.
But, you don't need to make your own. As Sabat told me, you can use theirs at your library. Just let people know it is via NoveList. And as she says in the post:
If you need help figuring out where to start with these challenges, don't worry; we'll share suggestions monthly on our social media channels. Plus, just like we did this year, we'll create longer lists of title options via our 2024 NoveList Reading Challenge recommended reads lists, which you can find on the homepage of NoveList and NoveList Plus.
You can even use those NoveList created lists to get your patrons started. It would be an easy display for all age levels every month. You can put up the monthly prompt and make a small display on any open space. 12 months of reading challenges with titles, for every reader, already done for you.
There is literally no excuse to not use this valuable resource. Whether it is this year's list or past lists, there are many ways to make this (or any reading challenge) work for you and your patrons.
Here is the full list of Reading Challenges for 2024 from Sabat's post. Each month, there will be titles, display ideas, and more that coincide with the prompt, all year long.
JANUARY: Start off the year exploring new authors by reading a 2023 debut. NoveList tip: Search for the genre "Debut title"
FEBRUARY: Read a romance or love story starring Asian characters.
MARCH: Read a book from the last five years that's been adapted into a movie or TV series. NoveList tip: Search for the genre "Page to Screen"
APRIL: Discover the joy of communal reading! Read to or in a group of two or more.
MAY: Read a standalone manga or the first volume of a manga series.
JUNE: Keep it quick by reading a novella.
JULY: Read a book set in Australia or New Zealand.
AUGUST: Enjoy a mix of magic and the macabre with a dark fantasy.
SEPTEMBER: Get ready for the coziest season by reading a cozy mystery.
OCTOBER: Embrace the scary by reading a creepy horror novel or ghost story.
NOVEMBER: Read a novel by an Indigenous author.
DECEMBER: Wrap up the year by reading an award-winning book from the last three years.
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