Read across the County: Connecting Communities through Reading
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
New Hanover County Public Library (NHCPL) developed a community wide read, Read across the County (RaC), to provide opportunities for our community to cultivate caring connections. RaC runs from June through August and offers community members the opportunity to participate in a variety of programs and discussions tied to selected titles for each age group. NHCPL has partnered with New Hanover County’s Office of Diversity and Equity to offer this community-wide read for the last three summers. This initiative is funded primarily by the Friends of New Hanover County Public Library. One of the keys to our success is working with community partners to distribute books to people who may not be regular library users. In addition to distributing books, the agencies partner with us to provide programs. With our title selections we focus on celebrating diversity in addition to underlying themes based on relevant issues and community interests. Topics have included race, neurodiversity, and physical disabilities. Once our adult title is selected, we search for companion titles in the teen, middle grades, and picture book categories. We gather input from a variety of sources and when possible, select titles that are available in several formats and Spanish. Hundreds of copies are ordered for community distribution as well as an increased number of copies for library circulation. Bookmarks and stickers on the giveaway titles promote Read across the County and prompt users to visit our site and learn about upcoming events, discussions, and related resources. RaC began the summer of 2021, with an emphasis on nature, celebrating families, diversity, and New Hanover County’s unique outdoor environment. We felt that in the wake of COVID closures, it was important for people to get outside and reconnect with one another. In 2022 our selected titles inspired us to understand one another and unite our community through art and expression. This year we hope for people to connect through the universal language of music. Each summer we have been able to host many related programs, including author visits, panel discussions, storytimes, and more. RaC would not have been successful without the help of our community partners which have included UNCW, Cape Fear Community College, local schools, YWCA, community center summer camps, and organizations with relationships to our themes. We hope to inspire other public libraries to connect with their community in the same way.
