The Intellectual Freedom Round Table Presents:
Confronting the Crisis of Reading Among Youth:
What Can Librarians Do to Promote Literacy & Intellectual Curiosity?
Second of Two Online Panels
November 12 @ 7 p.m. E.T.
According to a recent report by the University of Florida and University College London, there has been a forty percent decline in reading for pleasure in the U.S. over the past twenty years. Another study indicates that the reading skills of U.S. high school seniors are the worst they have been in three decades. These changes are deeply concerning for librarians and educators.
This second webinar in a two-part series will bring together school and public librarians from different parts of the country to discuss the causes of the crisis, the needed solutions and the ways in which librarians and educators can collaborate to offer innovative ideas for promoting reading.
These discussions will be rooted in Maryanne Wolf's Reader Come Home (Harper, 2018) and her concept of deep reading. Her approach returns us to the very foundation of librarianship and intellectual freedom: Promoting reading for the purpose of critical thinking and public welfare.
Confronting the Crisis of Reading Among Teens
Wednesday November 12, 2025, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET
Speakers:
*Julia Torres, Teen Services Program Administrator, Denver, Colorado Public Library System
*Jamie Gregory, High School Journalism Teacher and Librarian, South Carolina
*Greta Enszer, Teacher and Librarian, Los Angeles Unified School District
Facilitator:
Frieda Afary, IFRT Director-at-Large
Sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the American Library Association
Registration link for both webinars:
ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/...