There are many reasons for academic libraries and librarians to support reading. As librarians we provide reading material, space, and expertise. When students are supported in their reading habits they experience improved reading focus, comprehension, retention, motivation, and confidence. Reading ability and confidence also helps students to develop strong writing and communication skills. All of these things contribute to information literacy & student success.
Explore the research on reading in the sections below.
Bal, P. M., & Veltkamp, M. (2013). How Does Fiction Reading Influence Empathy? An Experimental Investigation on the Role of Emotional Transportation. PLoS ONE, 8(1), e55341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055341
Boswell, H. C., & Seegmiller, T. (2016). Reading fiction in biology class to enhance scientific literacy. American Biology Teacher, 78(8), 644–650. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2016.78.8.644
Dewan, P. (2016). Economic well-being and social justice through pleasure reading. New Library World, 117(9/10), 557–567. https://doi.org/10.1108/NLW-03-2016-0019
Gaiman, N. (2016). The view from the cheap seats : selected nonfiction (First edition.). William Morrow.
Kidd, D. C., & Castano, E. (2013). Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind. Science, 342(6156), 377–380. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239918
Stansfield, J., & Bunce, L. (2014). The Relationship Between Empathy and Reading Fiction: Separate Roles for Cognitive and Affective Components (3). 5(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.5334/jeps.ca
Wolf, Maryanne., & Stoodley, C. J. (2007). Proust and the squid: The story and science of the reading brain (1st ed.). HarperCollins.
Baba, J., & Affendi, F. R. (2020). Reading Habit and Students’ Attitudes towards Reading: A Study of Students in the Faculty of Education UiTM Puncak Alam. Asian Journal of University Education, 16(1), 109–122.
Baldwin, A. G., & Nadelson, L. S. (2023). Gaps in College Student Reader Identity: Issues of Reading Self-determination and Reading Self-efficacy. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 53(2), 109–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2022.2155728
Brewster, L., & Cox, A. M. (n.d.). Taking a “whole-university” approach to student mental health: The contribution of academic libraries. Higher Education Research and Development, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2043249
Brookbank, E. (2023). “It makes you feel like more of a person:” The leisure reading habits of university students in the US and UK and how academic libraries can support them. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 30(3), 53–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2023.2261918
Brookbank, E., Davis, A.-M., & Harlan, L. (2018). Don’t Call It a Comeback: Popular Reading Collections in Academic Libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 58(1), 28–39. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.58.1.6838
Camargo-Rojas, L. (2024). Promoción de la lectura recreativa y misión de las bibliotecas universitarias: Una revisión sistemática. Ocnos. Revista de estudios sobre lectura, 23(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.18239/ocnos_2024.23.1.388
Dae-Keun Jeong. (2020). A Study on the Current Status and Librarian Perception of Readers’ Advisory in Korean University Libraries: A focus on Leisure Reading. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 10(4), 83–101. https://doi.org/10.5865/IJKCT.2020.10.4.083
Dali, K., & McNiff, L. (2020). Reading work as a diversity practice: A differentiated approach to reading promotion in academic libraries in North America. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(4), 1050–1062. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000620902247
Dewan, P. (2012). Are books becoming extinct in academic libraries? New Library World, 113(1/2), 27–37. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074801211199022
Dewan, P. (2013). Reading Matters in the Academic Library. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 52(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.52n4.309
Dewan, P. (2019). Reading in the Age of Continuous Partial Attention: Retail-Inspired Ideas for Academic Libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 58(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.58.3.7045
Dewan, P. (2023). Leisure Reading as a Mindfulness Activity: The Implications for Academic Reference Librarians. The Reference Librarian, 64(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763877.2022.2156968
Gilbert, J., & Fister, B. (2011). Reading, Risk, and Reality: College Students and Reading for Pleasure. College & Research Libraries, 72(5), 474–495. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl-148
Horning, A. S. (n.d.). Critical Reading Skills: An Urgent Challenge. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved March 15, 2024, from https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/10/17/reading-skills-are-urgent-challenge-higher-ed-opinion
Https://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/the-role-of-reading. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2024, from https://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/the-role-of-reading
Isakson, R. L., Isakson, M. B., Plummer, K. J., & Chapman, S. B. (2016). Development and Validation of the Isakson Survey of Academic Reading Attitudes (ISARA). Journal of College Reading and Learning, 46(2), 113–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2016.1141667
Lacy, M. (2014). The slow book revolution: Creating a new culture of reading on college campuses and beyond. Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Literacy, A. J. H., Project Information. (n.d.). Reading in the Age of Distrust | PIL Provocation Series. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://projectinfolit.org/pubs/provocation-series/essays/reading-in-the-age-of-distrust.html
Mazella, D., Heidel, L., & Ke, I. (n.d.). Integrating Reading, Information Literacy, and Literary Studies Instruction in a Three- Way Collaboration.
