flickr image by Julie70

While reading is a private and personal experience, and often perceived as a solitary pursuit, in fact, reading is also social. To be a reader is to be part of a wider community, and our reading is enriched as a result.

“One of the great pleasures of being a reader that we want our young readers to experience, is to recognise that you belong to a community of like-minded people across communities, states, countries and continents. Schools formally and informally, consciously and unconsciously, communicate how they value a community of readers and the successful relationships at its heart.”  La Marca, S & Macintyre, P.(2006). Knowing readers : unlocking the pleasures of reading. SLAV.

In this area:

Communities creating readers:  Ways communities can create readers and how readers can be part of reading communities.

Reading at home: How parents can help their children become readers.

Home-school partnerships:  What schools can do to support, encourage and provide resources for parents to help their children become readers.

Public Libraries: Links between schools and public libraries to create readers.

flickr image by theunquietlibrary

Online reading communities: Making the most of the opportunities provided by the social web to engage in reading discussion.

Summer slump & holiday reading: Promoting reading at home, during the school holidays.

Organisations and events: Links to a range of associations, organisations and community events which promote and enrich our reading lives.

Links to related pages:

• Reading culture
• Teachers as readers

“Books serve as a kind of catalyst in social interactions between the reader and other people. The activity of finding books, the talking with others about the ideas they spawned, and the critical analysis of their truths and the craftsmanship therein seemed catalysts for social interaction.” Carlsen, R.G. & Sherrill, A.(1988). Voices of readers: how we came to love books. NCTE.

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