Promoting reading 1
Chapter 1. Reading promotion What is reading prom
otion? In conjunction with the preparation of a National Action Plan for reading promotion, the Swedish Arts Council has defined this concept. Reading promotion means to: • make readers of the literate • open roads to literature for those who do not read • increase access to a variety of literature in different languages and in different formats for readers of all ages • provide more opportunities for an artistic experience through literature • remove the obstacles to reading, broaden the repertoire and boost the reader’s selfconfidence and identity as a reader. In the research report Promoting Reading to Adults in UK Public Libraries (Kinnell & Shepherd 1998) reading promotion in the library context was defined as “any means by which libraries encourage people to read or to widen their reading horizons”. This means actively encouraging or providing advice on reading, or simply making it easier for library users to make their own choices. The authors of a couple of papers in the subject area of library and information science at the University of Borås define reading promotion as “activities aimed at creating favourable conditions for reading, the stimulus to read and the joy of reading” (Bogren & Oskarsson 2011); and “activities or actions carried out with the aim of stimulating and promoting people’s reading and desire to read” (Ledin 2005). Words like “benefit”, “facilitate”, “encourage”, “stimulate”, “joy” and “pleasure” are prevalent in the context of reading promotion. Reading promotion is an activity, with a specific intention. According to the Swedish Arts Council’s definition, reading promotion means opening paths to literature for those who do not yet read. Reading promotion also includes making literature available to people with reading and writing difficulties. Another general target group for reading promotion activities is individuals who, while able to read, rarely do. In Slutet på boken är bara början: om läsarsamtal, bokcirklar och bibliotek (The end of the book is just the beginning: on reading talks, book circles and libraries) (2012), Nina Frid describes the library’s reading promotion efforts as making readers of the literate. The difference between being literate and becoming a reader has also been emphasised by researcher Pamela Schultz Nybacka (2005). Nybacka defines a reader as “a person who voluntarily incorporates books and reading into his/her life”. In the English language research literature, the engaged reader is sometimes used to describe individuals who want to read, who choose to read, and who take pleasure in reading (Cremin et al. 2014). Some prefer to use the term reading stimulation rather than reading promotion. This is the term used by Sandin (2011) for example. In the library context, a term more closely related to reading promotion is also used: literature mediation. The library manages 11