Teens & Reading

Teens & Reading

Some teenagers like to read. Others don’t. It’s that simple. Or is it?

As adults, we know that reading is important and we obviously want to make sure that the teenagers in our lives grow into adulthood with all the skills they need to succeed. But how can we encourage them…safely?

Before we list ways to encourage teen reading that may work, here are a few tactics that likely will not.

Try to avoid…

• Pressuring, nagging, or bribing. Encourage, don't hound.
• Criticizing what they choose to read. Forbid as little as possible- accept differences of opinion.
• Lavishing too much praise. Show interest, but don't make a big deal out of it. They'll see right through you.

Ways to encourage teens to read...

• Set an example. Let teens see you reading for pleasure.
• Make reading materials available. Leave books, magazines, and newspapers around.
• Acknowledge their mature interests. Suggest some adult reading you think they can handle or that may interest them.

What can teens get out of reading? They have to get something out of it, right? Through reading they can:

• Become an expert. An expert on any subject they like—from sports statistics to spelunking, coins to carburetors, ballerinas to barbecues, or anything in between.
• Live dangerously. Through reading teens can share the challenges, fears, thrills, and achievements of those they are reading about - without the risk.
• Have a few laughs. Many teens will enjoy sitting down with a book by their favorite comedian or a collection of jokes or cartoons.
• See the world. Without leaving town, teens can visit places that fascinate them.
• Travel through time. Historical fiction and science fiction can move a reader back and forth in time.
• Use their brains. Teens may enjoy solving a mystery, outwitting a crafty villain, or thinking through a perilous situation.
• Get some free advice. Lots of novels feature teenage characters that have problems and pressures common to many teens, believe it or not.
• Discover new interests. Through reading, teens may develop an interest in something they knew nothing about before.
• Find a cause. Teens can get smart on an issue that matters to them.
• Escape. Teens can escape noise, tension, or boredom by escaping into a book.

Teen Read Week is October 18-24, 2015. The purpose of Teen Read Week, created in 1998, is to encourage teens to be regular readers and library users.

In recognition of Teen Read Week, the Independence Public Library is hosting an after-hours Teen Read-In for those students in 6^th grade and up. Activities will include mish-mash book skits, telling ghost stories, book character charades, scavenger hunts, building forts, reading, snacks, and more! Join us after hours from 7:00-10:00 pm. The event is free. Please call the library to sign up @ 319-334-2470.

NEIBORS Is Changing To BRIDGES!

Patrons that enjoy checking out digital eBooks and Audiobooks through the NEIBORS program, should brace themselves for some good news! NEIBORS is switching to BRIDGES! July 15th is the big day.
What does this mean for you? More books! BRIDGES will combine NEIBORS (the consortium the IPL belongs to) with WILBOR (another large consortium in Iowa) and other libraries to create one large consortium for the whole state of Iowa. This will pool all the eBooks and Audiobooks for all patrons to use.
There's nothing you need to do. When the switch to BRIDGES happens, the icon and some of the colors will change on the site, but you will still be able to log in with your Library Card Number and your Phone Number; and you will still be able to get to the site through your Overdrive App and the link on the IPL Website.
If you have any questions, or would like information on using the library's digital eBook and Audiobook system, stop in or give us a call at 334-2470.

Memoir Writing

There are a lot of reasons to write a memoir, or autobiography, not the least of which is the possibility that details of events will be forgotten or changed over time, the line between fact and memory becoming less distinct as the years go by.

Memories pile up year after year like boxes of unsorted photos. A few of the benefits of writing your memoirs include:

1. Storytelling is a lovely life-skill. Once you get the knack of telling stories about yourself, you’ll learn to organize and communicate all your thoughts more clearly.
   
   
2. Writing about your life lets you share ideas and lessons. Your knowledge and wisdom can help others grow along with you. Writing forces us to think and rethink about our past and present surroundings, the people around us, relationships, and occasions that seemed ordinary at the time, but make our lives extraordinary.
   
   
3. Writing about your life helps dissolve the hard knots of loss, betrayal, regret, and guilt that keep you stuck in the past despite your best efforts to forget. It causes you to record certain events or dramas in your life that may be of value to others.
   
   
4. Writing is a challenging mental activity, and research shows that challenging yourself mentally improves your mental agility and stamina. And, you will be describing – or perhaps explaining – things the way you want them to be recorded.
   
   
5. In a crowd of people it’s natural to wonder “Why should anyone read about my life?” And that’s the best reason to write it. As you sort out the details of your actual path, and look for what makes your journey worth reading, you will incidentally also reveal what makes it worth living. You are providing evidence of aspects of your life that individually will be useful and interesting to your readers, but collectively, will be useful to history.
   
   
6. You can take Jacquie McTaggart’s workshop, The Memoir Project, for free at the library! The first class was this morning, but there are five more workshops that meet Monday morning at 10:00-11:30 am through May 11. This is Jacquie’s third time leading the class at IPL. It is free thanks to the Independence Hotel/Motel Tax Grant. All sessions are self-contained, so no worries if you miss a class.