Jennifer Pearsall/Pioneer
OCCC’s summer Reading Program will focus on leisure reading to give students a break from the usual curriculum they read.

The Keith Leftwich Memorial Library is running its Summer Reading program again this year, said Barbara King, Library Services director.

“The primary purpose is to draw people into the library and let them know that we offer a well rounded collection,” King said.

“We want students and faculty to know they can utilize the library for pleasure reading, not just a coursework.”

The program consists both of books drawn from the existing collection, and between 100 and 150 new titles purchased with the summer program in mind, said Dana Tuley-Willams, systems librarian and creator of the program.

The books will be displayed on a pair of shelves in front of the circulation desk.

Angelica Jimenez, pre-law and business major, said she usually uses the campus library for its research and computer resources or for a quiet place to study. She said the program may prompt her to use it for fun reading as well.

“I knew the library had a collection of fiction, but it’s really hard to find time to browse when you’re attending college full time. Having the books right in front of the circulation desk will make it much easier to find a good book quickly,” she said.

Unlike public library programs, which are often theme based or competitive, the Summer Reading program is centered more on leisure reading, said Tuley-Williams.

“The new titles are made up of a fair amount of fiction,” she said. “But overall, the new titles are like the rest of our collection, a very broad range of genres and topics to appeal to a lot of people with a lot of different interests.”

“We just try to select titles that are fun or interesting to read, or suited to relaxing with a good book,” said Tuley-Willams. “We also started offering audio books just last year, which we’ve incorporated into the summer program. They’re great for road-trips, or any time that you can’t be focused on a book.”

The entire library collection currently stands at around 102,000 volumes, comprised of audiovisual and print material.

If students or faculty would like to read a title that the library doesn’t own, recommendations are always welcome, said King.

To recommend a title for the library to add to their collection, go to www.occc.edu/library and select Library Request Forms.