Library Greetings!
The hub-bub of the holidays has passed, and now we're in the throes (and snow drifts!) of mid-winter. The days are getting longer, warmer days are ahead!
This month, we're going to touch on reading trackers. One surprising thing about my job is that I get to see all the different ways people keep track of the books they read.
It's kind of like on Halloween, and getting to see the inside of everyone's houses. On the outside, everything looks the same, but on the inside, you can see how everyone is different. The people who come to see me are all readers, but when people show me how they keep track of their reading, it's like a peek into their brains.
I've seen everything. Apps like Goodreads and StoryGraph (My favorite!), little spiral notebooks with notes and scribbles, a spectrum of spreadsheets: the most basic to color-coded. I've even seen a carefully curated folder of scrap paper. There's no wrong way to do it!
For those who need inspiration, we offer Beanstack as a valuable resource here at the library.
Beanstack is an app or a webpage that we use for our Summer Reading program. The platform was so successful, we use it all year-round. I make sure there is always an active reading challenge so that people can log their books, reading minutes, and reviews. It's just one more option to track those favorite authors or remember which book in a series you left off at. Visit https://lowerprovidencelibrary.beanstack.org/ to learn more.
Of the phone apps, I love StoryGraph. It's like an ad-free GoodReads with pie charts. I get book suggestions based on my reading, and every month, it generates a graphic of my reading:
I loooooooooove the pie charts. It makes me giddy to see my charts move and grow. But I also still keep a paper tracker in my bullet journal. I used to just make a list, but now I've started to *jazz* it up with photo covers and a star rating stamp.
By no means do you need to get this fancy. Whatever works for you is right for you! After all this show-and-tell, I'll tell you I also meet people who don't track their reading at all! They read whatever they want, and if they've already read it, no biggie! I'm in awe of that kind of freedom. I am a Virgo...I could never!
As always, if you have any questions about tracking your reading or where to start, don't hesitate to find me in the library.
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