The Big SHARE

(The Big Sandra and Harriet Annual Reading Exchange)

Event Description

As Assistant Director of the Purdue English Big Read, I developed an annual book drive in honor of the program’s generous donors. The Big Sandra and Harriet Annual Reading Exchange (also known as the Big SHARE) is a community outreach event co-sponsored by the Purdue English Big Read and the West Lafayette Public Library (WLPL).

This event encourages folks in the Greater Lafayette area to purchase new trade books from local bookstores such as Von’s Book Shop, Main Street Books, Second Flight Books, and Barnes & Noble and deliver those books to donation boxes placed around Purdue University’s campus and at the West Lafayette Public Library. Participants are encouraged to donate any fiction or poetry that inspires their own love of reading.

At the conclusion of the drive, the Big Read team tracks the total number and cost (via their MSRP value) of books donated. Upon collection, donations are sold in the West Lafayette Public Library’s in-house bookstore, The Book Cellar. Funds collected through The Book Cellar are donated to the Library Foundation, which supports WLPL’s programs and activities. Unsold remainders from The Book Cellar will either be added to WLPL’s catalogue or donated to Discover Books, a program that distributes books worldwide to literacy and other community service programs.

Community Impact

This event offers an opportunity for all of the Purdue English Big Read’s affiliates to connect over a shared investment in community literacy, particularly by supporting local bookstores and libraries.

According to the United States Census Bureau, bookstore sales have declined more than 45% since 2007. The Greater Lafayette area is home to bookstores such as Vons, Second Flight, Main Street Books, and Barnes & Noble, some of which have functioned as community institutions for decades. The Big SHARE encourages participants to support these enterprises, helping them (and us) to flourish for decades more to come!

The Big SHARE also seeks to support the WLPL. This full-service library has provided essential services for the greater Lafayette community for over one hundred years. WLPL houses more than 250,000 books, ebooks, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, periodicals, and historical records and offers year-round events and regular programming for children, teens, and adults.

Finally, this event promotes the importance of book ownership and lifelong reading. Sikora, Evans, and Kelley suggest a positive correlation between home library size and children’s mental, social, and personal development. Their findings demonstrate that children reared in homes containing books are more likely to be better educated, more employable (and more happily employed), more adept at critical thinking and problem solving. These children are also more likely to have greater information and communication technology (ICT) skills. Through their lending services and community outreach, local libraries and literacy programs such as the Purdue English Big Read enable folks to bring books and educational materials into their home, encouraging a longitudinal relationship with the written word.

During its inaugural year (2023), the Big SHARE raised over $300.00 in book donations to WLPL. These selections, ranging from young adult science fiction to canonical classics, will inspire more people in the greater Lafayette area to slow down and enjoy literature.