Riverside County Library - Turn the Page for Fun

Turn the Page for Fun
Desert Sun: January 3, 2010 by Dennis A Britton

Amy Dodson has a passion to promote reading as a fun, everyday activity to help readers relax, relieve stress and learn.

“If you are not reading for fun, it is not going to stick,” she said. “If you are not reading for fun it is going to be seen as a chore. If you associate reading with something you have to do, then you are not going to go to it for pleasure.”

She said a lot of people “don't agree with promoting books that are not serious, so to speak, that are not literature, but people are at least reading and that's what matters.”

The Cathedral City librarian came by her passion for reading naturally. She thinks she first entered a library as an infant with her mother, who visited her local public library several times a week.

“She should have been a librarian,” Dodson said of her mother. “My whole family went to the library often during the week. They were big readers. Reading was always important and fun in my family.”

Dodson said she thinks literacy “has taken a downturn in recent years. Of course every library strives to improve literacy. For instance, one of the things we do here is offer ESL (English as a second language) classes which help to improve literacy.

“Virtually every program we offer in one way or another is meant to engage people in reading,” she said. “The computer classes we offer tie in with books we have on how to use computers. Our cooking classes tie in with cook books or books on how to become a chef or how to go to culinary school.

“Our summer reading program for children is an easy one. Everything we do is to improve literacy in adults, teens and kids.”

Story continues below ↓

And 14 years later her enthusiasm hasn't waned. She says she loves her job, from selecting new books to creating special programs.

Dodson is especially excited about two upcoming events at the Cathedral City Library.The first is called “Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace.” A photography exhibit opens on noon Jan. 23 and continues the next day with a roundtable discussion from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. to encourage “civic dialogue” about the impact of the exhibit. The second event features award-winning writer Victor Villasenor, who will speak on Jan. READ MORE !