The end of March can signify many things. The beginning of spring, the end of the third quarter, or, for some, the much-awaited finale of March Madness and subsequent reviewing of brackets.
The Public Library of Brookline organized its annual March Book Madness, modeled after the college basketball tournament March Madness. In March Book Madness, the 16 most popular books from the teen room of the library are selected to go head-to-head in a bracket.
The event began on March 7, when teens could submit their brackets for a chance to win a prize. After the initial brackets were submitted, participating teens voted once a week to decide which books would move on and which would be eliminated. The winning book, “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins, was chosen on March 28. Through this event, the library aimed to encourage student literacy and participation with the library’s catalog.
Librarian Tori Gellman runs collection development, programming and outreach related to students in 8th through 12th grade at the library. After previously hosting March Book Madness at other libraries, Gellman introduced the program in Brookline.
“It was just kind of a fun way to play upon March Madness, the sport one, and give people a way to interact with the books that have been heavily circulating,” Gellman said. “Some folks may not know what’s popular among their peers, and it’s just a way to promote some of the collection.”
High school librarian Melinda Wallner set up a display outside of the high school’s library and sent Canvas announcements to promote the event.
“I think that one of the roadblocks [for participation] is that students just don’t think of events happening at the library. They just think about it as a space to study or to get books, but they don’t realize that there are so many cool events going on,” Wallner said. “So I think of our role as helping to uplift those events that [Gellman] worked so hard to put on.”
Senior Aditya Kaushik, a student on the Student Library Advisory Board at the high school, said he did not participate in March Book Madness because he didn’t know about the event.
“When I looked at [March Book Madness], I wanted to read those books, and I wish I had participated in it because I have read a bunch of those books and they’re really fun,” Kaushik said.
According to Wallner, she has noticed a decline in students reading for fun. Wallner said that events like March Book Madness are more important than ever.
“So many benefits come from reading for pleasure. A huge part about hosting events like this is showing teens that there are ways to have fun reading. These are the new books you should keep an eye out for and try new things,” Wallner said.
Gellman said that although teens often come to the library after school, there isn’t that much interaction with the books. According to Gellman, March Book Madness is an opportunity for teens to take advantage of the library’s resources.
“It’s such a close walk, and they know they can do homework here. It’s a space dedicated to them, and we offer a lot in terms of physical materials, but also just in terms of social opportunities and different sorts of ways to be involved with what’s going on,” Gellman said. “It’s a great opportunity to have a little bit of fun and whimsy in a very chaotic time.”
