leisure reading | The Journal of Creative Library Practice

Michael Kirby
Julia Furay
Robert J. Kibbee Library
Kingsborough Community College
The City University of New York

Abstract

Given the existing research on reading for pleasure and its benefits, many academic libraries have begun to bolster their offerings by purchasing leisure materials for students. At CUNY Kingsborough Community College Library, we have created five separate browsing collections, each focusing on a particular subcategory: LGBTQ, juvenile, Holocaust, new books, and general leisure. What may sound like overkill is actually a targeted endeavor to make our collection more accessible to our users while minimizing shelving confusion for circulation staff. Equally important is highlighting diverse perspectives in a national environment that is increasingly hostile towards minority groups and intellectual freedom. If students are unable to locate materials that challenge overtly politicized narratives, how can we expect them to be well-informed? This article will include a discussion of browsing behavior in academic libraries and the pitfalls and benefits of creating these leisure collections.

Continue reading Academic Libraries for Bookstore Lovers; or Why Five Browsing Collections Isn’t Really Overkill →

By Alexandra Boris
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0276-9281
University Libraries, University of Tennessee

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Alex Boris, University of Tennessee Libraries, 1015 Volunteer Blvd., Knoxville, TN 37996. Email: aboris1@utk.edu.

Abstract

Every university has a different way of providing its patrons with popular or leisure reading titles. In academic libraries, mission statements and collections policies focus on resources supporting research and teaching. A leisure reading collection within academic libraries may be tended with care or fall by the wayside when resources are needed elsewhere. It can be overwhelming to find oneself responsible for a collection that has not been the priority.

This case study will discuss how a relatively stagnant leisure reading collection was revived to engage users with library spaces and collections. While such a task can seem challenging at the beginning, intentional selection, care, and marketing can increase the accessibility, visibility, and usability of the collection. Over five years, the leisure reading collection at the University of Tennessee Libraries became a tool for engagement and a visible connection to library values.

Continue reading Out With the Old, In With the New: Revitalizing a Leisure Reading Section in an Academic Library →