By Emily Dominguez, Contributing Writer
September marks the start of National Literacy Month and Library Card Sign-Up Month. This is a nationally recognized campaign to bring awareness to the importance of reading and library resources. Going to libraries as well as reading allows children, teens, and adults to develop crucial skills they can carry with them throughout their life.
Saint Leo University’s Reference and Instruction Librarian Alejandra Rodriguez helps students connect with Cannon Memorial Library and its resources.
She says, “National Literacy Month is a great time to encourage reading, especially for children and families.”
Additionally, libraries are an excellent resource for building a solid educational foundation for children. They offer accessible resources such as books, technology, and various programs that spark creativity among children and their parents, most of which are free.
Furthermore, reading impacts language and literacy skills, such as vocabulary development, phonemic awareness, and alphabet knowledge. Unquestionably, reading is beneficial not only for children’s development but for adults as well.
Unfortunately, college students report high levels of stress. In a study by the Journal of American College Health, six out of ten college students experienced “overwhelming anxiety,” while over 40 percent were saddled with crippling depression.
Spending a couple of minutes a day reading can significantly improve students’ physical and mental health to combat those overwhelming feelings. For example, the University of Sussex reports that individuals who had read for merely six minutes exhibited slower heart rates, less muscle tension, and reduced stress levels.
Besides improving mental health, students reading for pleasure increases their educational background. Consistent readers build their reading comprehension, increase background knowledge and vocabulary skills, and have been shown to advance their understanding of human behavior and help to empathize with others.
To continue, Rodriguez shares that students at Saint Leo can celebrate National Literacy Month by visiting their local library, joining book clubs on campus, or reading varied materials while encouraging others to do the same.
Around campus, students can access free reading materials. For example, at the Cannon Memorial library here on campus, students can check out books with a student I.D.
According to Rodriguez, some of Saint Leo’s library resources offer students different services besides checking books out.
For example, the library provides a nice quiet place to focus with beautiful views; personalized help with assignments from the writing faculty, and research help from librarians via chat, phone, or email. They also have plenty of books, academic journals, magazines, and electronic content for students to use for free.
The Little Free Library is a hidden gem close to the library, outside of Saint Edward’s Hall. The small wooden bookcase is typically filled with books donated by the community. The Little Free Library is an excellent spot for finding books to keep or a place to donate books.
With the assurance that all students can access a book, it is time to embrace September as National Literacy Month and Library Card Sign-Up Month. Students must continue to build on critical foundational skills well beyond this month. They should join in on the fun and keep on reading!
