Silent Reading Society
In 2024, members of the Community Engagement and Libraries Communications departments created the Silent Reading Society (SRS) event series. SRS is a one-hour, screen-free, silent reading gathering that is free and open to the public. Attendees can bring their own book or choose one from a small thematic selection from the Libraries. Coffee, tea, and light snacks are provided.
Overview
Silent book clubs are nothing new, but in the years following the pandemic, as people were feeling out how they wanted to return to public life, they suddenly became more popular. Held at bookstores, bars, cafes, and other gathering spaces, various silent reading events began to receive coverage from national news outlets (New York Times article and column) and to appear in local venues such as Letters Bookshop in Durham and Blackbird Books in Raleigh. We thought: why not at the Libraries?
We saw the silent book club idea as well situated among both the Libraries’ Wellness events and literary offerings. Our creation of the Silent Reading Society (SRS) in fall 2024 coincided with an emphasis on student wellness across campus. That emphasis led to Libraries events series like Creative Journaling and Crafting Recess, which encourage gathering together to hand-make things. SRS encourages students to gather together to quietly read in a shared space and to experience some relief from schoolwork, the quietude of a screen-free hour, and the pleasure of reading with other readers around them.
The Libraries has a long history with literary events including hosting author events (e.g., Rebecca Yarros, Henry Winkler, H. M. Wolfe, V. E. Schwab, James Patterson, Tracey Deonn), National Poetry Month programming, banned books programming in conjunction with National Banned Books Week, and literary festivals. We’ve also hosted blind date with a book events, and the Libraries hosts Read Smart, a 16-year-long running book discussion series held in partnership with the Wake County Public Libraries. For the Read Smart series, staff from NC State work with public library staff to select popular fiction and non-fiction works and then invite NC State scholars to moderate book discussions at the Village District public library. SRS adds another facet to this longstanding celebration of reading and writing at the Libraries.
In recent years, the Libraries has created popular reading areas in both the Hill and Hunt Libraries and actively curates collections for them.
How We Did It
We wanted to create the right space for a relaxed reading experience. We looked for a quiet room with windows, natural light, and comfortable seating. We focused on rooms that were a bit apart from the din of big study spaces, busy thoroughfares, and the Learning Commons. The D.H. Hill Jr. Library has a space that met all these criteria—the Living Room—located in a less-trafficked area of the second-floor West Wing. The room features large windows that look out onto Hillsborough Street, attractive mid-century modern furniture, and colorful rugs. We created the name “Silent Reading Society” to brand the events, deciding that calling it a “society” rather than a club would differentiate it from student organizations or university clubs.
Snacks are also key—coffee and tea, fruit, cheese and crackers, and cookies—with students citing that they are sometimes coming from class and are hungry, but also that the snacks make the event feel more like an intimate gathering. As a fun giveaway, we also designed and produced SRS bookmarks for students to take.
For each SRS, we curate a cart of books from the Hill Library’s collections. Selections are made according to a theme—often we celebrate the current heritage month by selecting Latinx or Black authors, for example, or we choose a theme like sports or spring or Halloween. We select titles across genres so there will be something for many different kinds of readers, including fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose, and even graphic novels and art books.
SRS is an inexpensive event to produce. Refreshments are around $100 per program, bookmarks are bulk-printed, and we use staff time to curate the book selections and to promote and attend the events.
Assessment
We know this is a successful program because of high attendance (all events have been at or over capacity), as well as overwhelmingly positive, enthusiastic written feedback on comment cards filled out by attendees. Students consistently report that they enjoy reading in a space with other readers; appreciate the devoted leisure-reading, screen-free hour amid their otherwise busy schedules; and feel calm and happy after the hour.
Students also learn new information about the Libraries through SRS—information that they might not have thought to approach Ask Us to ask about. Through a fun public program, they discover that the Living Room is available as an alternative study space to the always-crowded Learning Commons. Students have asked SRS staff questions about how to check out the books from the curated selection, and have learned about other Libraries services like Interlibrary Loan that they didn’t know were available to them.
Some selected student comments:
"What stood out the most was the vibe and ambiance of the room. I loved getting to read with my peers in the quiet all together. I did not expect this event to be so relaxing and rejuvenating. It made me feel better to go back into my week. I love coming to Silent Reading Society!"
"What stands out to me is how peaceful this event was! I really liked the quiet space! loved this event! Can't wait to do it again!!"
"I loved the visual of just seeing people read a physical book. It made me very hopeful for the world! I was surprised that this is an event run by the Libraries. The importance and scope of the Libraries always surprises me. I think it would be really cool if they did one of these events outside when the weather gets nice, combining nature and learning!"
Futures
Students report wanting SRS events more frequently, but having more than one per month is not sustainable with current staffing levels and may reduce the feeling of specialness. We have run out of space in the Living Room (students sitting on the floor), but there are tradeoffs in switching to a larger, less cozy space. Some students have indicated a desire to have some social time built into the event, but we have opted not to include that at this time because the discrete hour that starts and ends on time seems to be part of the success. We are considering hosting a session outside during pleasant weather.
