It's not too late to use Reading Challenges to create opportunities to highlight your collection. Becky Spratford at RA for All talks about the NYT reading challenge which features ten items that are easy to complete. Read her post here. This challenge is a great one to focus on as a book display or online post. As Becky mentions in that post, you should have an adult summer reading program. One way to start is to highlight a variety of reading challenges in your displays and lists. Help your patrons complete or find a challenge.
One thing to note in your signage is that your staff can help find titles to meet a challenge. Libraries should be the place where people come for reading suggestions. Not everyone in your community realizes that we are able to help patrons find their next great read. We need to shout that loudly and often. We know that AI suggestions are not able to provide the service that we can offer. (I have been suggested self-help after reading horror. Likely, this was an algorithm offering up something really popular.)
You can make an interactive display or post by having your readers make suggestions for a variety of prompts. Let your readers help each other.
You can take this sort of marketing tool outside of your library and pair up with a local bookseller. They might have a book challenge of their own that you can help promote. Join with local businesses like a brewery, bakery, or coffee shop and create a local summer challenge in which you pair local fare with certain kinds of books. The businesses might be open to hosting/participating in an end of summer event for adults.
Here are some websites with 2026 reading challenges listed. Pick a few to focus on and add suggestions to the display each month. If you have a website or blog, you can add suggestions there as well. Make sure you link to your catalog and digital collection. Create digital displays, shelves, or lists.
Resolved to finish more books in 2026? Here’s your guide to the web’s best reading challenges. - Literary Hub
2026 Challenge Link Megathread - Reddit
Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge - Shelf Reflection
If you search for 2026 Book Challenges, you can find a wide variety of challenges which should meet just about every readers' need.
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