Outstanding Books for Nontraditional Students and Lifelong Learners
Penny Johnson
Are we not all potentially college bound?
The term college bound creates images of eager teenagers, filling their last years in high school with academically challenging classes such as AP English, physics, and calculus. College campuses are presumably for young adults, newly independent, focusing on sports, parties, and professors. But many high school graduates do not go directly to college. Financial, academic, or personal reasons often send young adults into the workforce or after other pursuits. Millions of teens may never step foot on a college campus, although many do finally enroll in a college program, and the number of latecomers is rising.
Indeed, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, an agency of the U.S. Department of Education, the traditional college student is not typical. Fully three-quarters of all enrolled postsecondary students do not fit the description of “young single adult.”1 Adults beyond the 18–22 age bracket are returning to college to retrain for a new career, to enhance a current job situation, or to fulfill a lifetime goal. College bound, then, is really a term that can describe any adult in America.
Thus a collection of lists with the title Outstanding Books for the College Bound is quite useful for anyone at any age. Like keeping fresh batteries in a smoke alarm, choosing to read books from these lists keeps minds energized and ready for whatever circumstances may arise.
Libraries can effectively use these titles for adult collections and programs as well as for teen audiences. For example, consider inviting the public to a seminar on educational opportunities for nontraditional students. Emphasize the usefulness of the OBCB book lists to attendees who are considering a return to formal schooling. Another seminar designed to teach study skills to nontraditional students would also be useful to patrons. Use books from the OBCB lists to demonstrate techniques for effective learning.
Outstanding Books for Those Unbound by College
Of course, all education is fundamentally self-education. Professors and formal curricula may guide us, but we are ultimately responsible for our own education. Thomas Carlyle stated, “[What we become] depends on what we read, after all manner of professors have done their best for us. The true university of these days is a collection of books.”2
Whether we have left our college days behind or still dream of donning a cap and gown, we have a lifetime of opportunities to educate ourselves unbound by college curricula and requirements. Seeking those opportunities is imperative. Futurist Alvin Toffler observes, “The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”3
Librarians and library staff should be the foremost role models in their community for self-education. A continual process of learning, unlearning, and relearning is imperative for those who profess to be the “information gurus” that a library career implies. While considering how to encourage others to pursue a lifetime of learning, library specialists should also examine their own education plans.
What is one of the best ways to foster lifelong learning? As with any worthwhile project, finding the best-quality tools. Time and energy are finite resources. For those who choose to invest that time and energy in self-education, Outstanding Books for the College Bound offers a convenient way to identify titles worthy of attention.
Recognizing lifelong learning as a satisfying, and indeed necessary, pursuit, those unbound by college can find many meaningful ways to organize and pursue their self-appointed education. OBCB book lists can provide road maps and guides through the journey. Consider these reading action plans for both librarians and their patrons.
Be Your Own College Advisement Center
Formal college programs provide a plan that includes a list of required courses. College curricula usually include general education requirements along with requirements in a student’s major field to ensure a well-rounded education. For instance, the University of Wisconsin requires every student to take courses in natural science, social science, and humanities, literature, and art. As students enrolled in their own Lifelong Learner University (Go LLU!), readers can use OBCB book lists to create and fulfill their own curriculum requirements. Using any university’s plan as a template, readers can choose books that match the same requirements. For example, following the UW plan, readers could choose a book from the science and technology list, the social sciences list, and the arts and humanities list. Then choose a “major” and read several books from one list, such as history.
Libraries can build on this model by sponsoring a Lifelong Learner University book group, where participants create their “curriculum” together using the OBCB book lists. This type of program can help re-create some of the social aspects of on-campus life as readers meet to discuss each book.
Something Old, Something New, Something Random, Something True
Sally Ashmore of Omaha, Nebraska, has a reading plan for her lifelong learning program based on the phrase “something old, something new, something random, something true.” She reads one book matching each criterion, and then begins again. She considers the OBCB book lists a valuable tool for locating high-quality books as she reads through the cycle. Sally especially appreciates the nonfiction listings. Readers not associated with libraries or academia often find it difficult to identify outstanding nonfiction books. These book lists highlight great titles that otherwise might go unnoticed by readers.
Libraries might print book lists arranged according to the “something old, something new, something random, something true” cycle, thus offering a new way for patrons to pursue a reading plan.
Another library collection display idea is to create “book bundles” featuring OBCB books. A book bundle, as described in an article in the June 2010 issue of VOYA, is a set of three or four books packaged with a rubber band and a tag.4 Each bundle has a specific theme. The OBCB book lists provide several theme ideas, or bundles could be created using the “something old, something new” pattern or the “college advisement center” theme.
Going Deep, Going Wide
College students and those unbound by college face the same dilemma when choosing how to spend their leisure reading time. Does one spend those precious few hours reading a book in his or her field, or outside that field? An education, be it formal or self-administered, that provides both depth and breadth produces a well-rounded individual who can contribute in many venues. These lists of outstanding books allow a reader to go deep or go wide, or to choose both directions at once.
Amy, a newly graduated microbiologist, is eager to read all the books on the science and technology list to deepen her knowledge and expertise in her field. Vicki, a busy graduate student, feels she barely has time to eat or sleep. Any extracurricular reading she chooses must scream “research efficient.” She appreciates the history list that points her in the direction of excellent books in her field that meet her criteria for possible future use.
On the other hand, Roger seeks to expand his horizons beyond his everyday pursuits. After spending a full workday concentrating on technology, he prefers to read a book from the OBCB arts and humanities list or history and cultures list. He finds going wide with his reading choices gives him a much-needed break from job-related stress.
A library could consider providing an online blog or forum for readers who are “going deep” in a particular genre or subject. Allow them to share insights as they read all of the books on one list.
Dedicate an area of library shelves to OBCB books. Arrange the books according to OBCB subject rather than traditional Dewey or Library of Congress designation, thus allowing those who are seeking deep or wide reading experiences to easily locate relevant titles.
Feeding the Creative Mind
The accepted definition of creativity is the production of something original and useful. To be creative requires generating many unique ideas and then combining those ideas into the best result. Avid reader Jarkko Laine recognizes reading as excellent fuel for the creative mind. In a guest column posted to Design Pepper Blog on Feb. 5, 2008, he states, “I read all the time. It helps me learn new things, become a better writer, entertain myself. But most importantly, reading feeds my creativity.”5
Creative readers expect the books they read to be informative and mind-expanding, yet entertaining. Reading is not a drudgery to add to an already overloaded schedule. One of the dangers of neatly organized and annotated book lists such as OBCB is the implication that a reader should start at the top of a list and toil through it. Thus reading these books joins the same category as eating vegetables or getting a flu shot. That does not sound like an effective formula for feeding the creative mind.
To create a storm in the mind and generate new creative ideas, reading needs to be fun, lively, and, yes, sometimes unorganized. To eliminate reading drudgery, one might open up this outstanding collection of book lists and point. This method for choosing a book may lead to a subject or author that enlightens in a completely unexpected, unintended way. Entrepreneur Burke Hedges writes, “Reading, like no other medium, can transform your life in a flash, and you never know which book, at which time in your life, might be the one that rocks your world and inspires you to grow in ways you never thought possible.”6
A library might encourage patrons to feed their creativity with a “reading grab bag.” Write the titles of OBCB books on individual slips of paper. Place the slips in a grab bag or box. Invite patrons to pull a slip from the box to determine his or her next book. (Libraries will need a system to assure all the books in the grab bag have immediate availability to avoid disappointed readers!)
Finding the Time
While browsing through these lists of outstanding books, Natalie’s excitement grew as she contemplated reading from this diverse collection. And then reality sank in. As a busy young mother, how would she ever find the time to enjoy them?
In this fast-paced world, we can easily consider sitting down with a good book a luxury that is impossible to afford. The college unbound look with envy at those who enjoy a spring break or a summer vacation when plenty of free time allows reading to take center stage. When juggling work, family, and social obligations, how does one find the time to read?
Libraries should be the leading advocates for finding that reading time. Treat readers like VIPs with comfortable reading accommodations and special quiet nooks. Lead the fight to eliminate the attitude that sitting down with a good book is a luxury most do not have the time to enjoy.
One idea is to provide a graffiti wall in the library featuring pictures of OBCB books. A large whiteboard or chalkboard, a bulletin board, or simply a stretch of white butcher paper can be used. Allow patrons to write ideas on the wall with colorful markers or chalk about how they find time to read.
To jump-start the process, library staff might consider adding the following ideas to the graffiti wall:
For a designated time daily or weekly, turn off all of the screens—TV, computer monitor, iPod, and phone. (Okay, so the Kindle doesn’t count!)
Read out loud with a partner
Go to sleep later or wake up earlier
Read during lunch breaks and coffee breaks
Take a bath (and a book) instead of a shower
Always carry a book to take advantage of unexpected moments
Keep a book in the bathroom
Designate family reading time each week
Listen to audiobooks on the road, while doing housework or yard work, or while exercising
Talk to others about books and reading
Give yourself permission to stop everything and read
In addition, libraries can spotlight reading with special programs celebrating National Poetry Month, Teen Read Week™, International Children’s Book Day, and other observances. Celebrate books!
Sponsor a public workshop on time management, with the speaker emphasizing tips on how to schedule reading time into a busy adult life.
Stephen R. Covey says, “The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”7 Avid readers use many techniques to find time for reading despite overcrowded day planners. Libraries should help patrons discover those techniques so they can explore the outstanding books on these lists.
Shining an Additional Spotlight on OBCB Titles
The library is an important symbol of self-education. Libraries should actively identify high-quality materials for the lifelong learner. With OBCB book lists as a tool, librarians can provide specific opportunities for the college unbound to find, appreciate, and share outstanding books. Consider these additional ideas for spotlighting titles:
• Feature the OBCB book lists on the library website. Create a link from each title to the library catalog. Remember to include e-books and audiobooks.
• Create a special spine label designating books that appear on the OBCB lists.
• Take the opportunity to emphasize the origin and purposes of the OBCB lists. Through printed and online resources, answer these spoken or unspoken questions patrons may have about the lists: Why are these particular titles considered outstanding? Who determined what titles were chosen? How are these titles relevant to my life and my situation?
• Create a community journal, both online and on paper. As patrons read a book from one of the OBCB lists, encourage them to write a review and add it to the journal.
A frequently quoted maxim, attributed to former basketball coach John Wooden, observes: “Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read.”8 By using these power lists of outstanding books, the college bound as well as those unbound by college can add depth and breadth and creativity to their reading experiences. The lists in Outstanding Books for the College Bound are a cornucopia for those seeking a lifetime of self-education. Whatever plan a reader uses to feast upon these books, the mind and soul will be well fed. May every librarian seek to be an inviting maïtre d’!
Notes
1. National Center for Education Statistics, “Special Analysis 2002: Nontraditional Undergraduates,” http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2002/analyses/nontraditional/index.asp.
2. Thomas Carlyle, On Heroes and Hero Worship and Heroics in History (Public Domain Books, 2006, Kindle edition).
3. Alvin Toffler in “Toffler Quotes,” www.alvintoffler.net/?fa=galleryquotes.
4. Gigi Yang and Erica Segraves, “Book Bundles: Readers Advisory in a Package,” VOYA 33, no. 2 (June 2010): 132–34.
5. Jarkko Laine, “Seven Tips for Creative Reading,” Design Pepper Blog, Feb. 5, 2008, http://designpepper.com/blog/post/seven-tips-for-creative-reading.
6. Burke Hedges, Read and Grow Rich: How the Hidden Power of Reading Can Make You Richer in All Areas of Your Life (Tampa: INTI, 1999), 22.
7. Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (New York: Rosetta Books, 2009, Kindle edition).
8. Goodreads.com, “John Wooden Quotes,” www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23041.John_Wooden.