Cleveland READS
Cleveland Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Cleveland Public Library and local partners launched Cleveland READS, a city-wide reading challenge rallying residents to collectively read one million books and/or minutes. Beyond fostering a love for reading, the campaign enabled the Library to make progress toward our strategic priority to Close the Gaps, addressing inequalities facing our city. The benefits of a literate community affect social welfare, workforce development and even health care. As stated by Dr. David Margolius, Director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, “Cleveland Reads brought residents together for a common cause and that’s good for the health of our community. Reading reduces stress, improves sleep, and has even been shown to extend life expectancy.”
The effort engaged 28,000 readers and 400,000 books, achieving over 10 million reading minutes. This triumph revitalized Cleveland's reading culture, affirming the power of collective action to address societal challenges and nurture literacy.
Challenge/Opportunity
Parental reading skills are pivotal for a child's academic success, surpassing neighborhood and income effects. Literacy combats poverty, cuts incarceration rates, boosts health, and bolsters academic achievement.
Early literacy helps children enter kindergarten with a love for books and learning. Teens in book-rich homes know 42% more words, aiding communication and leadership. Adults reading 30 minutes weekly expand knowledge by 21% and improve conversational ease by 27%. Reading reduces stress more than music or exercise, lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and psychological distress, and staving off mental decline by up to 32%.
The Cleveland READS challenge, led by the Cleveland Public Library, distributed 400,000 free books at over 116 events. The initiative exceeded goals, logging 10 million reading minutes and 1.6 million books in 2023, nurturing a literacy culture in Cleveland and proving that a city that reads together succeeds together.
Key Elements of Innovation
Three-Pronged Approach:
1) Collaboration: Cleveland Public Library, the City of Cleveland, the Cleveland Teachers Union, and 30 community partners inspired Clevelanders to read by providing free books and literacy resources to the community.
2) Community: Together, we engaged neighborhoods by activating 30 community ambassador volunteers to promote the campaign and sign-up readers. Educational and literacy organizations were leveraged to drive participation and provide tools and resources.
3) Awareness: A marketing and awareness campaign highlighted the importance of reading, while a rewards and incentives program, including the giveaway of 92,000 badges, motivated readers to achieve milestones. Additionally, three major public events were hosted with over 9,000 attendees and a fundraiser attended by over 350 people at the Main Library, celebrated the campaign's success and supported its work.
Achieved Outcomes
Through a collaborative effort among Cleveland Public Library, the City of Cleveland, the Cleveland Teachers Union, and 30 community partners, the Cleveland Reads challenge motivated Clevelanders to read, providing books and literacy resources to our community. Our Cleveland Reads kickoff event welcomed 2,500 residents to the challenge while the midpoint event brought 1,650 residents together to celebrate literacy.
The original goal was to read one million books and/or one million minutes in 2023. However, with over 116 outreach events, 400,000 new free books distributed, and 28,000 participants collectively reading, Cleveland READS reported over 10 million minutes and more than 1.6 million books read in 2023. We celebrated our triumph with 5,000 residents at our Victory Bash.
