When picky readers walk into the Captain Shreve High School library in Shreveport, librarian Maureen Barclay uses a tried-and-true method to help them find books that pique their interest.
She rattles off a list of questions: What's the last book you enjoyed? What movies do you watch? What TikTok videos? What do you do in your free time?
"They start reading something, and it’s just like Netflix,” she said. “They get caught up, and once you get them started, they keep going. They keep reading, like they kept watching.”
Barclay knows all too well how difficult it can be to get some students interested in reading. Recent national headlines have proclaimed that "" and "" Only 14% of 13-year-olds said they read for fun, according to a U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics survey released in June. That’s a decline of nearly half since 2012.
Researchers often point to several factors behind decreased rates of reading in schools, including increased screen use and, in the classroom, increased pressure to teach to standardized tests.
The Times-Picayune spoke with Barclay, longtime librarian and classroom teacher at Captain Shreve, about how she helps students buck those trends.
The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
This is my 21st year in education and at Captain Shreve High School. I started as a classroom English teacher and I moved to the library in 2018, largely because I had been working with the National Writing Project (a professional development network that focuses on writing) as a teacher consultant. Working as a librarian allowed me to reach more teachers and all the students in our school. As a librarian I serve about 1,400 students, helping students throughout the day and teaching research.
Why is reading important?
Research tells us that a student who reads just 20 minutes a day is more likely to score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests. We have a schoolwide culture of reading, and we have a 100-million-word reading challenge this year where students and teachers can log too. So everyone is invested.
What books do kids seem to be interested in?
We see a wide range. It depends on the student and their background and interests. At Captain Shreve, we have a lot of students who are interested in mysteries and thrillers, just like the movies. If you're a gamer, you're going to like stories with a lot of action. We also have readers who only want to read graphic novels or students who will say, "The last book I ever read that I loved was ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid.’ "
That means that they want books that are lighthearted, that are humorous, maybe that are a break from reality. One of my colleagues says, “Oh, they want a book snack.”
We want to make sure that we have everything available that a reader could want, that they can see themselves in the books that we have to offer and that they have access to those books in a variety of ways. Our students prefer physical books. They really don't gravitate to e-books; they don't want screens for their pleasure reading.
Do you have any tips for helping teens find pleasure in reading?
First, collaborate with a school librarian because the school librarian is trained and is an expert in matching students with books that they will love. It's the school librarian who is well-versed in young adult literature, which is completely different from being well-versed in British literature or American literature. That knowledge is crucial to matching students with books that they will love in this culture right now.
I've learned that more and more across our state there is a school library, there are books in it, but there is not a trained librarian in that facility. In that case, reach out to your local public library.
Could you walk me through an example of how you help a student find a book they'll enjoy?
That's what we do all day, every day. I call them picky readers, or non-readers. Maybe they haven't finished a book since they were really little because they're dyslexic or they're addicted to screens. Or maybe they just fell out of love with reading. I usually ask if there’s something they watched recently that they really enjoyed. Are you into gaming? What do you do in your free time? Tell me about what you're watching on TikTok? Did you ever read books like “Big Nate,” did you ever read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”? Usually that student wants a graphic novel because they're very visual, they have a short attention span, and graphic novels are great because they're a gateway drug to reading.