Australian Reading Hour

Australian Reading Hour

What is Australian Reading Hour? Australian Reading Hour is an initiative supported by the Australian Government, Better Reading and the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund to encourage all Australians across the country to pick up a book and read for one hour on your own or with your children. It is being driven by libraries all across Australia to promote the benefits of reading.

What are the benefits of reading? Well, it helps to increase literacy and numeracy skills and has a positive and significant effect on your work. Reading reduces stress by 68%, relieving stress more quickly than listening to music, going for a walk or having a cup of tea, and we all know that tea fixes everything 😉. The more leisure books people read, the more literate they become and the more prosperous and equitable the society they live in becomes. Reading a gripping novel causes positive biological changes in the brain that can last for days. Who knew that indulging in your fave author or book genre could have a positive effect on society and yourself? When tested for empathy, readers of narrative fiction achieved significantly higher than other groups. With a bit more empathy, our world would be a more harmonious place to live.

Children who know adults who read for pleasure take it for granted that reading is valuable and reading is closely linked to increasing our understanding of our own identities. It was found by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research that reading to children six to seven days a week puts them almost a year ahead of those who are not being read to. So reading to children and encouraging them to read is setting them up for success in life. Isn’t that what every parent wants?

Sounds good. When is it? It’s on Thursday September 20 2018, and the hour and reading material are your choice. Find more information and to register your interest on their website, go to  https://www.readinghour.org.au/.

I don’t have a book to read for leisure at the moment. Do QUT Libraries have anything? Yes! QUT Libraries have more than just your textbooks. There are great fiction novels in print and online, for adults and children. Check Quick Find today.

But I prefer non-fiction. That’s okay. QUT Libraries have that covered too. We have autobiographies, biographies, commentaries, self-help books plus a whole lot more. The choice is yours! 😊

Don’t forget, when searching in Quick Find, you can limit your results to books and ebooks only.