"Morning Reading Room" - An Attempt to Create a Library-like Reading Space Online [Moebius Open Library Report Vol.4]
At the Möbius Open Library (MOL), in response to schools and libraries closing temporarily, we implemented a project called the "Morning Reading Room," where people could connect loosely online while reading. This was an attempt to place a reading space online to think about the future of libraries and knowledge.
What is the Morning Reading Room?
"Morning reading" is a time, usually about 10 minutes every morning, when each person reads quietly. The choice of book is free, and while it is just a time for reading, it is adopted by many schools because it helps establish a reading habit and prepares the mind for learning before the start of the school day. Perhaps some working adults also have a habit of "morning reading" for about 30 minutes or reading books during their commute. However, in the spring of 2020, children's schools were temporarily closed, universities began remote classes, and even adults started working from home, completely changing our daily lives. We heard voices saying that they could no longer maintain their reading habits. That is when we came up with the idea of an online "Morning Reading Room."
Specifically, we used the video conferencing system Zoom, and those who signed up accessed the "Morning Reading Room." Then, they simply read whatever they liked. We set 8:20 to 8:50 as the "quiet reading time" and rang a chime at the 20, 30, and 50-minute marks as a guide. From 9:00 to 10:00, we kept the room open as "conversation time" for participants to talk to each other. It was an online space like a library or a classroom where you could feel that people were nearby. The goal was for children to continue their "morning reading" habit just as they would if they were going to school. We hoped university students would regulate their daily rhythm and build a habit of downloading teaching materials and starting their studies after morning reading in preparation for the upcoming start of remote classes. We also thought it would be good for working adults to use the time they used to spend commuting for reading before starting work.
The Morning Reading Room in Action
The "Morning Reading Room" was held on weekdays from 8:00 to 10:00 AM, from April 20th to the 30th. On the first day, it was just the people involved, but from the second day onwards, after the school notified everyone, children started entering the room one after another, and I believe 30 to 40 people were coming and going every day. Some children participated from the start time until the very end, and for us as organizers, it was a very happy and lively scene.
During the "quiet reading time," there were no specific detailed rules other than just reading, but we did ask participants to write the books they were reading in the chat. Some people read the same book little by little every day, while others read several books in a day; everyone has their own way of reading. It seems some people chose their next book by referring to what other participants were reading. Some people also shared their thoughts in the chat, so I will introduce a few of them.
・Elmer and the Blueberry Pie I read it. It was a story about how if you try your best, your thoughts will be conveyed and your wishes will come true. It was interesting and I finished reading it right away.
・I read "Always Friends" by Yoshiharu Tsuchida. I thought it was admirable that everyone worked hard for their sick grandfather.
・Today, I read Piglet Bupu and Sunny Sometimes Pig. Both were interesting!
・Pootan, What Time Is It Now? I read it. It was funny when the room filled with bubbles at 2 o'clock.
・Earth's Mysteries: Why? How Come? I read it. It's a book that helps you understand the mysteries of the Earth well. It also includes recommendations for independent research. It's a perfect book for this time of year. Please try reading it.
・The Way Creatures Die I read a book called this. It was interesting to learn about a world of creatures different from our own. It left an impression on me that especially for insects, even though they die quickly, the parents die while protecting their eggs.
・Arukashira Bookstore I read a book called this. It was interesting because it introduced various unique books. Please try reading it.
・Doctor Dolittle and the Moon I read the messenger from. I'm only about halfway through, but it's interesting how many bugs appear.
・Thinking of Weak Robots I am reading a book called this. It's an expository text like those that appear in junior high school entrance exams. It makes you think about whether robots that don't require humans to do anything are really good for humans. Please try reading it.
・Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I tried reading a book called this. In the usual Harry Potter series, there are many adventures and ordinary life, but a friend told me that this one is the first (?) horror-type one, so I'm looking forward to it.
・"Visible Poems, Playful Poems, Audible Poems" edited by Mitsuko Hase, published by Toshindo. It contains 61 poems. I like the poem "I" by Shuntaro Tanikawa.
・"The Reflective Practitioner" by Donald Schön. I read it. "What is a professional?" I want to think about that all day today.
・I read "Digital Nature: Wabi and Sabi by Panpsychist Computers Forming an Ecosystem" by Yoichi Ochiai. It's about the relationship between machines and humans. I thought it was new to perceive machines as "nature" rather than "artificial objects."
・I am continuing to read "Honeybees and Distant Thunder". It's a story about pianists facing a competition. It's interesting how it carefully depicts the efforts, hardships, and strategies of the pianists, as well as those of the people involved in the contest. The phrase that stayed with me today was, "Judges are the ones who judge, but they are also being judged."
・Since I didn't have any books to read at home, I looked for books I could read online. I read "The Crab Cannery Ship". I learned the word in Japanese history class when I was in high school, but this is the first time I've read it. It was a good opportunity. I will continue reading the rest.
・"The Band Rabbit" I finished reading it. I was able to experience the exhilaration of creating something together. It was on the center exam, so I was curious about it, and I'm glad I was able to read it.
・Thanks to the Morning Reading Room, I was able to make a lot of progress reading "Mikazuki".
The "conversation time" is led by the children. They seemed happy to be able to meet their friends during the school closure, finding friends and asking things like, "Are you doing your homework?" or "What book are you reading?" Some children introduced the books they were reading, recommended books, or interesting video materials to their friends. It seems they enjoyed the idle chatter that was possible precisely because it was a place called the "Morning Reading Room," rather than a place prepared by the school. I think it was appreciated as a project unique to the school closure period.
【From the post-event survey】
・Since some of my school friends were also participating, I was happy to see their faces for the first time in a while and to be able to send morning greetings via private chat.
・I participated with the feeling of "I can meet my friends!!" As a new first-grader, I hadn't even had an entrance ceremony, couldn't meet friends, and hadn't gone to school, so I didn't feel like an elementary school student at all, but there were older students from higher grades, and it was a very good stimulus.
・For children who are at home due to school closures, being able to see their friends' faces must have been a great comfort. It was a comfort not only to the children but also to me, an adult who is refraining from going out.
・I live alone and was lonely, so I was happy to be able to spend time seeing people's faces in real-time.
Evaluation from participants
The final number of people who registered for the "Morning Reading Room" was 225. Their attributes are as follows. Elementary school students accounted for about half, with many participating from Koganei Elementary School attached to the university.
After the implementation, we asked for a post-event survey and received responses from 80 people. While the evaluation of the quiet reading time was high, the evaluation of the conversation time was not as high, and we also received opinions pointing out issues. Another feature was that there were many comments not only from the participants themselves but also from their parents. It was a good opportunity to realize that parents who were not on screen were supporting their children's participation in the "Morning Reading Room," and also to gather their opinions.
【From the post-event survey】
・From the outside, it looked no different from reading alone, but my child enjoyed it so much that they stood by early every time. Perhaps it was the sense of security from seeing faces; I was grateful.
・My daughter has always liked books, but I felt that her concentration was different because of the chime and sharing time with her friends.
・Our daily rhythm was regulated, and both parent and child were able to enjoy reading in their own way. ・It feels like my child has only recently become able to read sentences, and it will still take time to make reading a habit, but by participating this time and seeing friends they know and children of the same generation reading, I often saw them quietly reading along, trying to do the same.
・The chat where everyone posted the books they were reading and their impressions was good.
・In a situation where we couldn't go to school, I felt that sharing time through reading with everyone who participated added a sense of purpose to my life. I would like to continue the habit of morning reading that I have acquired even after it ends.
・Because of the long school closure, my daily rhythm tended to fall apart, but I was able to wake up early properly on days when there was morning reading.
・I was happy that there was also a time from 9 o'clock where chatting was okay, like a cafe. It was when I turned off the microphone that I could really focus on reading.
・I was a little distracted during the reading itself, but I felt that a place where time can be shared with others is extremely valuable.
Significance of the Morning Reading Room
I (Nanatan), who conceived the "Morning Reading Room," am a university librarian. The Tokyo Gakugei University Library also had to close temporarily starting April 9th, and we were forced to suspend our book lending services. Of course, we can provide electronic journals and e-books online, so the Tokyo Gakugei University Library created a page called Library Services Available from Home to provide materials on our website. In the process of considering this page, I began to think about how the library could not only simply provide materials online, but also how to bring the various functions that a library possesses into the online space. In meetings with MOL members, we heard comments about how having someone studying next to you in the library helps you concentrate, or how people have their favorite spots among the various areas, so I wanted to try to create the library's function as an "open space" online. Incorporating a member's idea that it might be good to have photos of the library interior for use as Zoom background images, we also provided photos of the library interior to coincide with the opening of the "Morning Reading Room."
As a result, I believe we were able to realize a library-like reading space to a certain extent. The people who came to the "Morning Reading Room" included elementary school students, university students, and adults, and there were both friends and strangers. However, there were regulars who came every day, and it seemed to become a library-like space where people felt, "I don't know them, but that's that person I always see." The serious expressions seen through the camera when reading books quietly created an atmosphere of a learning space. In the survey, there were also opinions that appreciated the library-like space.
[From the post-event survey]
・I was able to realize once again that virtual is amazing. To be honest, at first I was confused even though other people's videos were appearing, but by appearing on camera myself, I felt a sense of unity was born.
・It left an impression on me that I felt happy when I saw the nicknames of people who participated every time, even though I had never actually met them.
・The space for immersing oneself in books was shared, and I thought it was effective for securing reading time.
・Reading can be done alone, but because it is a situation where you are being watched by someone and have to read, I think it was also a stimulus for the person themselves.
・I think it is very fresh and good to be able to read while feeling like I am in a library while at home.
・I was conscious of sitting quietly and reading a book, and even while staying at home, it became a space like being in a library.
Now, the "Morning Reading Room" ended on April 30th. I will also reflect on the operational side. At the idea stage, I thought it would be easy because all I had to do was prepare a video conferencing system, publicize it, accept applications, and notify people of the URL, so I launched the service 10 days after the initial idea. I started it as a relaxed mode project where I didn't think about event-like gimmicks and just read books, but there was a fair amount of preparation and behind-the-scenes work involved in operations, such as having it publicized through official university channels, sending out daily reminder emails, and creating summaries of the chat to make it enjoyable for the participants. However, I believe that precisely because these are such difficult times, it is necessary to have time to do what you want to do. And above all, the fact that there were people who participated in and enjoyed the service I thought of and started was a great joy as an operator.
The fact that some people became interested in MOL's activities through this project is also a major harvest. I would like to increase our members and challenge ourselves with the next project. (Text by: Nanatan)
[Postscript] The "Morning Reading Room" was well-received, so we held it in May as well. That situation is reported in MOL Report vol.5.
[MOL Reports to Date]
No.1 The Encounter between Explayground and the Library
No.2 The Path to PechaKucha from 3 Books
No.3 The "Play" called PechaKucha from 3 Books
[Explayground URL] https://explayground.com/