March Madness for those who prefer books to basketball

For sports fans, March is all about basketball brackets and competition, but what does the month mean for people who may prefer to read? Well, libraries across Massachusetts have found a solution and anyone can participate. 

The Wilmington Library in Wilmington, Massachusetts started the reading version of March Madness, Minute Madness, where the time a person reads creates points for their local library. This is the second year the Dartmouth libraries are participating, and they are asking residents to read and time how long. 

“It’s for any type of reading — reading out loud, listening to reading, newspapers, audiobooks, … magazines and graphic novels,” said Caryn Gagner, the information services librarian, “Anything that is considered reading.”

The competition starts with a free-for-all style reading challenge to figure out the top 16 libraries. This year, there are 19 libraries competing for these spots. 

The libraries are ranked by the minutes read in a two-week period, divided by the number of cardholders. This is so every library, regardless of the number of patrons, can have a shot at winning. 

After that, the libraries are pitted against each other based on their ranking in a typical bracket-style competition. 

“Reading makes you empathetic to other people … no matter what you’re reading you’re always reading about something,” said Gagner. “It gives you knowledge and it gives you empathy.”

Gagner said she is competitive and loved the idea of a reading March Madness, and pitched that the library should join.

As of the first week of the free-for-all, patrons of the Dartmouth libraries have  read for 14,000 minutes. 

The libraries have asked that students in the Dartmouth Public Schools participate and chart how long all the classes read, either by the teachers reading to their students or free-reading time. 

“Five, 10 minutes at the end of class, how many kids in the room times five,” said Gagner. “It’s amazing how the minutes add up.”

The free-for-all round will end on March12, when it’s announced which libraries are continuing into the brackets. The first round of brackets will begin on March 12 and go through March 19. 

To submit minutes, visit tinyurl.com/minutemadness.