“I had hoped, in my wildest dreams, that we’d get 100 people to sign up,” Kelly Watson said. “That was my pie in the sky number.”

Not only did Watson get her pie in the sky, but she surpassed it by over 30.

Last January when the Bensenville Community Public Library and Watson launched its first 52 Books, 52 Weeks program, they just weren’t sure what to expect.

“I had very wishful thinking at the beginning, and it’s one of those things that sounds very difficult, but it’s not once you get people excited and started,” said Watson, the program coordinator. “When someone signs up for a summer or winter reading program, sometimes they feel pressured to get their reading done, but when you spread it out over one year, the pressure is off and people can just enjoy reading.”

The program might be titled 52 Books, 52 Weeks, but the main goal isn’t for people to actually finish one book per week for an entire year. Ultimately, the library hopes the program will inspire people to read regularly.

Registration at the library, 200 S. Church Road, has started and the program officially kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 1. Already, over 70 patrons have signed up. To encourage even more participation, registration will be open until March 31.

“We have quite a few returning readers who are excited to start the program again,” Watson said. “We’re also seeing new people because it’s the second year and we are hopeful to get even more.”

Once registered, participants will receive a program packet that includes a book-log to record pages read.
Right now the 2007 program is ending and book-logs are starting to trickle in. The results have been surprising.

“People have been having a ball,” Watson said. “It seems like everyone has set their own individual goals. They have taken on our challenge and adapted it to what they want their reading challenge to be for the year. Since patrons don’t report to us on a regular basis, they can take their time and participate in the program however and whenever they want.”

Not only have many patrons hit 52 books, there are a few who have recorded reading over 300 books. Patrons have also told Watson that they liked to see how fast they could reach 52 books. Some have even focused their reading on a certain subject or genre.

“It doesn’t matter how many books you read, or how long it takes you to read a book,” Watson said. “It just matters that you’re reading a book. We’re challenging patrons to read 52 books, but the real challenge is to make reading part of every day.”

Besides 52 Books surpassing Watson’s wildest participation dreams, the program had another successful surprise. Originally conceived as an adult program, when registration opened last year, entire families were signing up. The youngest participant was 8 and the oldest was in her 80s.

“It was unexpected,” Watson said. “We had mom with the kids, father and son teams, individual kids and teens; it was just great how the program attracted a wide variety of people and age groups to participate.”

The program also proved so successful that instead of having just an official blog, an entire Web site,  www.52Books.org was set up to serve as a guide and online registration for participants.

“People like to look at the blogs, book suggestions, author suggestions and leave comments,” Watson said. “The Web site is great because all of us here at the library participate so it’s filled with a wide range of suggestions. For those patrons who don’t get to spend much time at the library, the Web site has proven to be a great way to participate and get suggestions without having to stop by the library all the time.”

For more information or to register for 52 Books, 52 Weeks, visit the site or contact Watson at (630) 766-4642 or Kelly@52Books.org.
“The 2007 program has exceeded all my expectations and I’m very excited to see how the 2008 program goes,” Watson said.

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