Fostering Culture:
Using Technology to Encourage Reading in Schools
Technology has an interesting relationship with reading. In the mid 2010s, at the height of ebook sales, people were forecasting the death of the printed book. Now however, ebook sales have slowed, and surveys of current readers indicate that print reading remains a substantial portion of media consumed. Technology hasn’t displaced traditional media, and its use may instead be complementary. There are several ways in which the use of technology can foster the creation of a reading culture in schools.
One of the most significant ways to foster reading culture is by creating virtual Library Learning Commons. Digital resources have advantages over traditional in that they are accessible when the physical library is closed. They are also more current, more searchable, and usually offer more resources than physical collections. Our students are socialising more online. Daily screen time in youth is rapidly growing, “increased by 17 percent from 2019 to 2021” (Moyer, 2022). During the pandemic, our students largely learned to socialise in virtual spaces such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Messenger, and online multiplayer games, and those patterns continued even after the pandemic ended. One of the ways that educators can attract the attention of our students is to also exist in those spaces.
A major aspect of community is communication and sharing, and there are several related technologies which could assist with that in the school. Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse discusses the impact of TikTok on reading in How TikTok’s BookTok craze is ‘making reading cool again.
BookToc is currently having a major impact on reading culture by allowing TikTok users to share reviews, recommended reading lists, releases, and reading content. These videos have “amassed 185 billion views,” (Culverhouse, 2023) significantly influencing readers. Educators can leverage this trend by engaging in this trend directly, connect their LLC to it via social media, and advertising the trends through their physical spaces. There are also more local ways that teacher-librarians can use technology to foster sharing. They can allow students to share what they’re currently reading, or reviews of past books, on the LLC websites and bulletin boards.
Reading culture can also be increased through the use of non-traditional texts in an effort to include a broader range of users. Materials with a greater reliance on visual literacy, like graphic novels and comic books, have increasingly been introduced into LLC, but there is room for more technological alternatives. In Book readers in the digital age, a survey they conducted found that users who read on digital media tend to read a greater variety of genres, and more often, when compared to readers who only read print media (Schwabe et al., 2023). They also found that print and digital texts each suit different genres, types of reading, and reading demographics (Schwabe et al., 2023). Libraries should offer both forms of text in order to cater to the entire school community.
Stephen Noonoo lists ways in which technology can improve reading in 6 Tech Strategies to Create Stronger Readers. One example is the use of ear reading, which can be useful for readers struggling with written text. Students can listen to audio books, either with a service like Sora and a tablet or phone, or with standalone devices like MP3 players and talking books. Ear reading can introduce users to properties, ideas, and communities connected with traditional media, and may also stimulate “the same cognitive parts of the brain” (Noonoo, 2024) as print reading, leading to improvements in reading literacy.
My school district uses several strategies to foster a reading culture. Most high schools have created a virtual space for the school community to interact with. Our school district provides access to a collection of digital resources, like Gale electronic databases, as well as reading apps like Sora which provide both ebook and audiobook access (SD 57 DLC, n.d.). Our school district could improve access to those resources by increasing awareness of available materials among the school community, as well as by providing more devices to access those materials.
Electronic resources available from the district (SD 57 DLC, n.d.).
These virtual spaces can also be a place to connect with the school community by displaying recent acquisitions and current events. For instance, the website for Duchess Park Secondary School displays recent acquisitions, gives news relating to the space, and tells users what the teacher-librarian is reading (n.d). More integration can also be made through the use of social media however. Greater use of Facebook and X could better connect users to the space. Rather than users having to consciously visit the space, social media integration would allow the users to interact with the space in a more often and more organically.
The Duchess Park Secondary School LLC front page (n.d.)
Works Cited
Culverhouse, C. E. (2023, December 6). How Tiktok’s BookTok craze is “making reading cool again.” How TikTok’s BookTok craze is “making reading cool again.” https://www.bigissue.com/culture/books/tiktok-booktok-trend-reading-literature/
Duchess Park Secondary School. (n.d.). Libguides: Welcome to the Duchess Park Library Learning Commons: Front page news. Front Page News – Welcome to the Duchess Park Library Learning Commons – LibGuides at School District No. 57 (Prince George). https://sd57.libguides.com/DPSS
Moyer, M. W. (2022, March 24). Kids as young as 8 are using social media more than ever, study finds. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/well/family/child-social-media-use.html
Noonoo, S. (2024, February 2). 6 tech strategies to create stronger readers. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-tech-strategies-to-create-stronger-readers/
Schwabe, A., Kosch, L., Boomgaarden, H. G., & Stocker, G. (2023). Book readers in the digital age: Reading practices and media technologies. Mobile Media & Communication, 11(3), 367-390. https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579221122208
SD 57 DLC. (n.d.). District learning commons e-resources. DLC. https://prin.ent.sirsidynix.net/client/en_US/dlc
What a thoughtful and well-written post! I appreciate the examples you share from your current context as well as the ideas you have woven throughout from outside reading and research. You leave your reader with much to consider.
Hi! I thought that your blog was very interesting, bringing out several different uses of technology to enhance a reading culture. I was most impressed with the idea of linking the school learning commons with Facebook and X so that students can quickly and easily have access to the SLLC collection as well as make recommendations to their peers about good material they are reading.
Anne Appenheimer
Hi Anne,
thank you.
I think social media can connect students with the curriculum outside of the time normally set aside for teaching. It’s something that easy to set up and maintain, while possibly creating a deeper connection with some students and the library
Wow! I found your information around the use of social media in fostering a reading culture intriguing. Being a person who has managed to survive without yet being on any social media, I can see that something like BookToc amassing 185 billion views cannot be ignored! Your approach that “one way we can attract the attention of our students is to exist in those spaces they already socialize in” has even got me, the social media nonconformist, reconsidering this as a powerful platform for reading motivation. This was a very well-written blog post. – Elizabeth Vaesen
Hi Elizabeth,
I don’t really have personal social media, and I do have some reservations with its use (especially with issues like the Cambridge Analytica and Internet Research Agency controversies), but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t still have utility. If kids are already on social media, we can use it to encourage reading.
TikTok’s BookTok craze and social media integration allows educators to engage with students where they are most active, fostering a shared reading experience. As, I commented on another post, having a green screen space in the LLC could be used to build shared experiences and provide an opportunity to teach students about digital safety and responsibility.
My school does not have a virtual LLC or access to online databases. Your school district’s initiatives demonstrate a proactive approach to fostering a vibrant reading culture. Creating these spaces and then using social media to spread awareness of these resources could further enhance community engagement and accessibility in my district.