Teen Read Week is a yearly event in October that encourages teens to read for pleasure. Libraries plan various activities, such as open houses, lock-ins, anime film festivals, author visits, and craft and game nights, to attract teens and promote reading.
Teen Read Week is a week-long celebration of teens and reading. The event was founded by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in 1998. Teen Read Week is celebrated every year during the third week of October. For seven days, the library is stepping up its efforts to encourage teens to read for pleasure. Recreational reading increases test scores and sets the stage for future success as an adult.
Public libraries plan events in honor of Teen Read Week. Librarians who work with teenagers plan various activities in hopes of encouraging young adults to pick up a book for fun. Activities can range from simple programs to elaborate events with special guests and refreshments.
Some libraries host an open house for teens during Teen Read Week. During an open house, the young adult librarian can talk about teen services, upcoming teen programs, and the collection housed within the teen department. Often, the library will serve refreshments and raffle door prizes. Other libraries may use Teen Read Week as an opportunity to form a Teen Advisory Board made up of teen volunteers. The Teen Advisory Board helps the librarian develop ideas for programs, brainstorm improvements within the teen department, and suggest new materials to add to the library’s collection.
Another potential activity for Teen Read Week includes providing library lock-in. Teenagers spend the night in the library playing games, reading, watching movies and eating snacks. The librarian and other library staff supervise the children throughout the night and serve them breakfast in the morning.
Anime film festivals are another popular event during Teen Read Week. Many teenagers like to watch Japanese animation called anime. Libraries capitalize on this anime obsession by hosting film festivals featuring cartoons. The librarian will also use this opportunity to booktalk about the various manga, or Japanese comics, that the library has available for you to check out.
If budget allows, some libraries may choose to invite a popular author to the library. Authors writing books for teens may make a public appearance at the library, reading selections from their work, answering teen questions, and speaking about the writing process. At the end, the library can offer the author’s book as a prize holder to one of the students present. This is a good way to encourage teens to read for pleasure during Teen Read Week.
Teen crafts and game nights are two more options for libraries that want to attract more teens into its doors. Many teenagers enjoy creating art, knitting, drawing, or making other crafts. Those who enjoy playing video games will come to the library if it offers them free gaming opportunities.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
