Borrow a book. Read the book. Return the book. No checkout required.
This is the slogan for READ ETSU, a service offered by the library to help people with aliteracy.
Aliteracy is term for people who have the ability to read but choose not to read.
Dr. Jean Flanigan, director of the Library Media Center, said that this problem has been getting a fair amount of attention from people such as First Lady Laura Bush.
READ ETSU was developed at the end of the summer term to get students more involved in leisure reading. Flanigan said it was designed so that students could read for enjoyment.
There is no commitment to return the book at a designated time.
“We want people to know that it [reading] is fun and entertaining,” said Flanigan.
READ ETSU provides used paperback books that are donated to the library. These books are not for checkout.
Many faculty members and members of the Library Associates have donated the books.
Rita Scher, dean of libraries, and Flanigan met with SGA to get funding for the racks that are used for the books and find out what the best place would be to place them.
According to Flanigan, they have no definite statistics on how many books are being picked up, because the books do not have to be checked out. She said that the workers in circulation say that students are picking up books off the racks.
When borrowers finish with the book, they may pass it on to another person or return it to the library at the earliest convenience.
There is a rack in the library in front of the circulation area on the first floor where the books are placed. There is also a book truck at the Kingsport Center.
Flanigan said that they are trying to add bookracks to other parts of campus. She said that they would like to set up a rack in the Culp Center outside the food court.
Also, the student lounge located in Warf-Pickel has invited the library to set up a rack in that area.
Plans are being made to place a rack in the late night study area of the library.
Flanigan said that they would like to use one outside of Dossett Hall for when students are in line for financial aid.
“I think there are lots of possibilities and there seems to be a lot of interest in it,” said Flanigan
Flanigan hopes that students will donate used paperbacks when finished with them for other students to enjoy.
The program was started at the end of the summer term. They used library supply money to buy the rack.
The way to identify if it is a READ ETSU book is to look for the stamp that says READ ETSU. There is no barcode on the book.
The library also marks out the donor’s names.
She said that the program is just for paperback novels.They provide many different kinds of novels. She said that they try to have a wide variety of books out and not just one kind of book.
“I think everybody ought to read the whole range,” Flanigan said. “It’s like food, you wouldn’t want a steady diet of chocolate pie.”
Public schools have tried to address this problem by encouraging students to read books and not just to look topics up on the Internet, she said
Colleges have come across this problem as well. Colleges feel that students are not leisurely reading. They feel that students are with books a lot of the time and do have the time to seek out leisure reading.

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