#WeKnowBooks Reading Challenge Update

Several months ago, we announced a 2020 Reading Challenge, where staff who were interested in participating agreed to read a specific type of book for each month of the year, such as Read a Debut Novel in January, Read Short Stories in February, and Read a Novel in Translation in March.  We had 28 staff members sign up to participate.  It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm among staff, and the first two months saw a high level of participation.

Participation decreased beginning in March when the branches closed, which is completely understandable, as our routines changed and we began having different priorities.  However, we want to continue our 2020 Reading Challenge for staff who want to continue participating in the challenge, or for staff who want to join us for the first time.  The #WeKnowBooks committee is happy to announce two exciting changes to the challenge that we hope will make it easier for those who want to participate.

1.    The challenge will consist of up to 12 tasks, but they will not be associated with specific months of the year.  You’ll still see Read a Debut Novel, Read Short Stories, and Read a Novel in Translation, along with 9 other tasks, but you don’t need to read them in specific months.  So you no longer need to wait until October, for example, to Read a Book with a Color in the Title—if you’re inspired to read The Color Purple now, go for it!

2.    You can complete the challenge by reading at least 6 books representing 6 different tasks.  You no longer need to complete all 12 tasks.  So if you haven’t been reading much the last few months and were thinking you’d have to drop out of the challenge, fear not—there’s plenty of time in 2020 to read 6 books!

You can access the spreadsheet on SharePoint to both sign up for the challenge and to record books you’ve read that match specific tasks.

If you do not currently have access to SharePoint, there is a Google Sheets spreadsheet where you can sign up and record books.  Note that you'll need a Google account to edit the Google Sheets file.  You should use a Google account that is intended for work rather than personal use.

If you have any questions about the Reading Challenge, please add a comment below.  Happy Reading!