Our Read at Leicester Campaign is currently running for its third year. This initiative stemmed from studies that focused on the reading practises of young people entering higher education. Studies found that a high percentage of students had expressed a lack of interest in reading for pleasure, or had little opportunity to engage with the practice.
Here at the David Wilson Library, we believe that reading for pleasure has the potential to increase well-being, improve your study habits, and offer the opportunity to explore wider perspectives. This is why we wanted to gift our students with a free book!
The texts so far have been:
2016 – In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
2017 – The Power by Naomi Alderman
2018 – The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla and The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Each year books have been selected and gifted to all first year students, and have thereafter been made available to staff and returning students. The campaign to encourage reading for pleasure to all students, regardless of their academic discipline, breaks down boundaries between students and reading. It enables them to create reading communities and converse academically on themes and ideas raised in these texts.
Throughout the academic year, Read At Leicester will be holding a series of events around our chosen texts. Follow us on Twitter for updates.
