Janis FontaineYearlong series of events is designed to encourage patrons to read for pleasure.
Here’s a shocker. Librarians want you to read more.
But, honestly, it’s for your own good!
The Palm Beach County Public Library started a campaign this year called Rediscover Reading to get people of all ages to read more for the fun of it.
It comes in response to a 2025 study by the University of Florida and University College London that found daily reading for pleasure — not for work or school — is in freefall.
The pastime has declined by more than 40% over the past 20 years in the United States.
Experts say the benefits of reading are mental, emotional and spiritual as well as intellectual. A study of more than 10,000 U.S. children ages 9-11 found that reading for pleasure was associated with fewer mental health problems, being less likely to have attention problems, showing fewer symptoms of stress and fewer behavioral problems.
Reading for pleasure was also associated with less screen time and longer sleep, according to a study published in the journal Psychological Medicine in June 2023.
“Everybody needs to read more,” said Douglas Crane, the director of the county’s library system, one of the largest in the state. “The research behind reading for pleasure clearly indicates that it provides health, social and wellness benefits because it allows you to de-stress when you read a good book. It generates empathy, and gives us an opportunity to look at topics in depth,” unlike quick-share posts on social media.
It’s not that we don’t like reading. We do. More than 320,000 Palm Beach County residents have library cards. But we complain it’s hard to find the time for leisure reading. Crane thinks there are too many distractions.
“One reason people are reading less for pleasure coincides with the rise of smart devices,” Crane said. “It’s just easier to quickly scroll on the phone or stream a movie than it is to go and select a book to read.”So in January, the library system introduced “Rediscover Reading,” a collection of programs and activities organized under such monthly themes as “Poetry & Prose” (April) or “Stars, Stripes and Stories” (July) with presentations like Writers Live, the Book Club in a Bag and the Bookmobile in its arsenal.
Writers Live
Writers Live is designed to entice you to read by letting you get up close and personal with the writer. So far in 2026, the library has hosted New York Times bestselling author James Grippando and award-winning author and journalist Alex Kershaw.
Next, a local talent comes to the table. Local historian and former Palm Beach Post journalist Eliot Kleinberg, whose work has woven the fabric of West Palm Beach’s history, discusses his novel, “Hypocrite’s Row,” the first of his police detective series, Adventures of Nate Moran. Published in February, it’s Kleinberg’s first novel.
Registration is open for the 2 pm March 18 talk at the Hagen Ranch Road Branch, 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach. Books are available for purchase and a book signing follows. Registration is required.
At 2 pm March 19, meet Nick Petrie, New York Times bestselling author of the Peter Ash series, who will discuss “The Dark Time.” The talk at the Wellington branch, is moderated by Oline Cogdill. Books are available for purchase and a book signing follows. Registration is required.
New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd discusses his newest novel, “A Day of Judgment,” at 6 pm March 26 at the Jupiter branch, 705 Military Trail, Jupiter. Books are available for purchase and a book signing follows. Registration is required.
You can view previous Writers Live talks on the library YouTube Channel.
The library offers dozens of events for kids, teens and adults. Classes, lectures, health fairs and book clubs can be found on the library’s website.
“A lot of people come to see the library as that valuable third space in the community where they can study, where they can meet friends, where they can take part in one of our activities and they can just enjoy a resource that their tax dollars have already paid for,” Crane said.
Book club in a bag
Reading is often a solitary experience, but a book club can make it social. “It’s a great way to meet people,” said Laura Elder, of Boynton Beach, who has led a book club at her homeowners association for about three years.
“I’d been in a couple book clubs, and I was surprised my community didn’t have one.” So, Elder set up a table at a neighborhood open house and held an informational meeting to gauge interest. About 15 people showed up. The club has grown to more than 20 participants during peak months, so Elder holds two sessions. Even with help, it can be a lot of work.
To make it easier, the library system created Book Club in a Bag, a kit that comes with 10 copies of the book, discussion guides and questions to help get the conversation started.
Kits are available for adult, children and teenage readers and are offered in large print and en español. There are nearly 350 kits in a wide variety of genres, including a collection of classic novels.
Elder found out about the program from a librarian, and it has made her job easier.
“Nobody has to go out and buy a book, she said.
Elder’s club reads fiction. “We ask members to suggest books, and we try to give a little priority to books that have a kit,” Elder said. The selection is good. “There’s popular stuff available. We just read ‘The Housemaid.’”
Book Club in a Bag selections include “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles” by Amy Tan and “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel A. van der Kolk.
Elder was surprised to find that the books the group didn’t like sparked the best conversations. “It’s interesting to hear other people’s perspectives. They bring up points that we hadn’t thought of. Sometimes people have personal experience with the subject matter, which really adds to our discussion because they look at things differently.”
Book clubs help combat isolation and the loneliness epidemic sweeping our country. “It’s a personal interaction as opposed to watching a podcast or video where you’re just receiving information. A book club is a great way to be with people who like the same kind of things. Reading is a solitary type of a thing, but when you do a book club, you’re engaging with other people.”
General topic book clubs are the norm, but there are specialty clubs popping up all the time. Book Breakdowns, a book club for teens, meets monthly at the Lantana branch. The Steamy Reads: Romance Book Club meets at the Acreage branch. And the Nonfiction Book Club meets at the Hagen Ranch Road branch to discuss memoirs, biographies, social investigations, true crime and histories.
Check the PBCLS’s activities page for book clubs that meet at the library. Other sources are MeetUp.com and Nextdoor.
If your neighborhood doesn’t have one, start one.
The bookmobile
“It typically visits locations that are more than 3 miles away from a library branch, or communities where people may have difficulty traveling to their local branch, such as a retirement community or a children’s aftercare,” Crane said.
In October, the library introduced its seventh bookmobile.
The first bookmobile cost taxpayers just over $30,000, The Coastal Star reported. That bus retired in 1977. Other bookmobiles followed about every 10 years.
Then in 2019, an anonymous donor paid $245,000 for a new bookmobile. The gift was in remembrance of the firefighters who died in New York on 9/11, and the donor asked only that a firefighter’s helmet and the number 343 (the number of firefighters who died) be displayed on the outside of the vehicle. That vehicle retired in 2025.
The newest bookmobile is a 36-foot masterpiece built on a Ford F-600 truck base, and its bold, colorful design features Dewey, the beloved library owl mascot, holding a book. Inside are bookshelves and a desk where librarian Ron Glass helps visitors check out their materials. This big, beautiful bookmobile cost $350,000.
At the ribbon cutting, Crane said, “This isn’t just a vehicle; it’s a modern, mobile hub for connecting communities, bringing the magic of the library to every corner of our county. Our bookmobile can make up to 42 stops over a two-week period. The people who use the bookmobile really love it because they get to know the staff very well, and they can get a lot more customized service. It’s very important to our community.”
Glass, the county’s outreach librarian, has served as the access services librarian for the bookmobile for 15 years. At the wheel is Michael Barto, who has driven the bookmobile for more than 25 years. Glass can also drive as needed, a bonus benefit of the job he loves.The bookmobile is so popular that the 2026 budget sets aside money for a second bookmobile to allow participation in more special events and add stops that are not on the route.
By the numbers
Here’s how the Palm Beach County Library System did in the fiscal year from Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025:
- Over 2.6 million library visits.
- More than 176,000 children and 70,000 adults attended library activities.
- More than 5.6 million physical items and more than 3.2 million digital items were loaned.
- Over 50,000 meals and snacks were served to children and families during summer and as part of the weekend/afternoon snacks program.
- Volunteers donated 39,125 hours.·
- Twelve library branches served as early voting sites for the election in November 2024 where more than 181,360 voters cast their ballots.
The Rediscover Reading themes
Rediscover Reading programs and activities are organized under monthly themes. The librarians hope that at least one of these will intrigue you:
March – “Your Path to Exploration” (National Reading Month) encourages readers to set their sights on the unknown, explore new worlds, voices and ideas through unforgettable books.
April – “Poetry & Prose” (National Poetry Month) asks readers to pick up a book of poetry of any kind.
May – “Read Well, Be Well” (Mental Health Awareness) urges readers to focus on wellness by reading outside and enjoying the sunshine or attending one of the wellness classes.
June – “Unearth a Story” (Summer Reading Theme Dinosaurs) calls for participation by all ages in the library’s Summer Reading Challenge.
July – “Stars, Stripes & Stories” (Celebrating American Fiction) offers a celebration of America’s birthday, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
August – “Worlds of Wonder” (Sci-Fi & Fantasy) immerses readers in a new world by checking out a science fiction or fantasy book at their local library branch.
September – “Your Stories, Your Heritage” (Genealogy Focus) encourages readers to visit the genealogy section on the resources page on the library’s website to learn more about their family history.
October – “Chills & Thrills” asks members to celebrate the spooky season by attending an “I Read Dead People” event at one of the library’s participating locations.
November – “A Literary Feast” wants readers to check out a memoir or literary classic at their local library branch.
December – “Reading Reflections” allows for reflection on the year by voting for favorite books in the library’s “Reader’s Choice Awards” or by checking out a cozy book from a library display.
Find the closest library to you here: PBCLS Locations
