By Paige Hendrickson
Motlow
Buzz Contributing Writer
The
Motlow Smyrna Library participated in the annual, county-wide initiative known
as “Unplug & Read” for the seventh
consecutive year.
This
month-long
event is sponsored by Read To Succeed,
the literacy organization for Rutherford County. Its purpose is to encourage
people of all ages and reading levels to “unplug” from televisions, computers,
video games, cell phones, and other electronic devices to enjoy the relaxation,
pleasure and educational enrichment of reading.
The Smyrna Library has adapted the
program to fit in with the college environment, though hopefully still get the
message across of literacy awareness and lifelong learning. To qualify for
prizes, participants must keep track of the time they spend reading “unplugged”
for the entire month of February, fill out entry forms, and submit them.
The entry forms were located in the
library, along with the box where readers dropped off the completed entries,
which could be submitted every day, every week, or at the end of the month. Qualifying materials could range from
newspapers and magazines to textbooks and graphic novels, as long as they were
true printed materials.
While
2019 seemed to be a low participation year in number of individuals, they more
than made up for limited numbers of participants with impressive amounts of
time reading. Seven individuals took part in this event: one faculty member,
one staff member, and five students. These seven industrious souls turned in a
total of 13 entries and totaled 169 hours and 12 minutes of “analog” reading
time in February.
“I
would like to personally thank each person who was dedicated to this task and
followed through by submitting the entries. If even one additional person per year
is inspired to read more, all the effort is worth it!” said Smyrna Librarian
Paige Hendrickson.
The
winners included student Gabby McCardell with 30 hours; staff member Jeannieann
Mathis with 8 hours; and faculty member Omar Tantawi with 117 hours! Each
winner received a gift card provided by Hendrickson, who is already
brainstorming for February 2020.
 |
| Gabby McCardell |
 |
| Jeannieann Mathis |
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| Omar Tantawi |
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