The Reed Library鈥檚 new Silent Reading events offer a chance for the community to read, destress, and connect through books.
By Cara Nixon
October 14, 2025
You’re sitting in a classroom, on a plush rug or in one of those plastic school chairs, your nose in a book and your mind in another world. All that’s required of you for the next hour is to lose yourself in this fictional landscape. It’s silent reading time.
Ever dreamt of having that environment emulated as an adult? Performing Arts Librarian Caleah James and Science Librarian Carly Lamphere have, which is why they created the Reed Library’s new Silent Reading event series—so that, in the thick of a busy academic schedule, students can sit down and peacefully read in community with others.
“We think this is an activity even more necessary for Reed students,” says James.
More frequently in recent years, James says students have been asking librarians where they could find “fun reading books” in the Reed Library. Previously, these kinds of books were spread throughout the building. But, taking students’ desires into consideration, the whole collection—called Bibliotherapy—now lives in one place, the Pollock room, providing a space to browse popular fiction, suggest titles to add, and take a break from studies. And the new Silent Reading events are a way for students to begin enjoying this collection.
“We are addressing the ‘whole’ student by providing unique ways to interact with the library,” Lamphere says. “Not only the Bibliotherapy collection, but also the space itself is serving as a chill-out zone to remind students that they need to practice self care and take breaks in the midst of Reed’s demanding academic schedule.”
The first event kicked off on October 2, themed to celebrate , which took place October 5–11 this year. Community members gathered in the Pollock room—the intimate reading room on the main floor which houses current newspapers and magazines—for a quiet evening of reading banned books and collecting banned-book related swag, too. , curated by Willow Pickett ’26, featured ones that have been challenged in recent years, though ones that have always been challenged appeared, too—like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
“In today’s climate it is even more important to celebrate reading and access to information,” Lamphere says. The American Library Association’s Banned Books week theme for this year was “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights,” which Lamphere says serves as a reminder for everyone to not take the freedom to read for granted.
“Learning about banned books and why they are banned or challenged, helps to develop critical thinking skills by examining censorship, exploring diverse viewpoints, and understanding the impact that banning and challenging books has on our society,” James says.
Silent reading events at the library will continue with other themes throughout the year. On November 11, the library will host a Silent Reading session based on the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, and for Valentine’s Day, readers can come to Pollock for a “Smut in the Stacks” themed event, which will involve conversations about consent, gender identity, and diverse romance.
“We think it’s important to provide not only academic services for our students but to also provide students with a sense of community, belonging, and ownership of the library with the collections,” James says.
Silent Reading events are part of that mission, and the hope is that students will take ownership of them, too, eventually managing the gatherings themselves with support from the library.
“From Silent Reading events,” Lamphere says, “students and community members can benefit from scheduled, uninterrupted time away from digital distractions, a chance to relax and find emotional calm, and the quiet community of shared reading.”