Growing Adult Readers: Promoting Leisure Reading in Academic Libraries

This article provides an introduction to the recreational reading promotion tools at VCU Libraries, including a book review blog, book swap, and bulletin board, as well as the libraries’ involvement with VCU’s summer reading program and Richmond’s citywide “One Community One Book” initiative. Policies and operating procedures will be examined, and these services will be discussed in the context of other libraries’ offerings. We will also discuss why there is a need for these services–which have traditionally been the purview of the public library–on a college campus. Reading among American adults is in dramatic decline, and the academic library is a natural setting in which to combat this trend. The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries’ literacy outreach efforts serve to promote and strengthen lifelong learning and student engagement, two goals outlined in the VCU strategic plan.