Washington, DC — The inaugural Beanstack Winter Reading Challenge for libraries came to a successful close this month, as more than 100 libraries all over the country and South Korea far eclipsed an ambitious goal set by investor and Shark Tank personality Mark Cuban.
The billionaire had challenged communities to meet a collective goal of reading at least one million minutes and 50,000 books during the month of January. With $35,000 on the line, readers rose to the occasion, surpassing the “minutes” target in Week 2, and the “books” target in Week 4. Ultimately, participants logged 84,002 books, plus a remarkable seven million minutes of reading time. (For scale: at eight hours a day, that’s more than 39 years of reading.)
Classics Lead the Way
The most popular books included both old favorites and new page-turners. Goodnight Moon led the way for the preschool set, while Harry Potter titles topped the list for young students. To Kill a Mockingbird was the number one choice for teens, followed by newer titles such as Nicola Yoon’s 2015 romance Everything, Everything, and Alexandra Diaz’s 2017 immigrant novel The Only Road. Among adults, Dan Brown’s 2017 thriller Origin was the runner-up, while the most-read title turned out to be A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 science-fiction novel, which benefited from the upcoming release of a movie adaptation starring Oprah Winfrey.
Seven high-performing libraries were selected for special honors:
- Bud Werner Library, CO;
- Keene Memorial Library, NE;
- Lincoln City Libraries, NE;
- MacDonald Public Library, MI;
- Menasha Joint School District, WI;
- Paramus Public Library, NJ;
- Suffolk Public Library, VA.
Using Cutting-Edge Software to Track Reading
The Winter Reading Challenge was coordinated through Beanstack, an innovative software that takes a modern approach to managing reading programs, bringing everything online and making it easy for librarians and readers alike to set up and maintain accounts to track their reading. It can also suggest more titles readers might enjoy based on their interests and reading “doorways.”
Cuban became an investor in parent-company Zoobean after the founders impressed him with their vision on Shark Tank in 2013. Beanstack currently serves over 600 libraries globally. “Libraries are the lifeblood of so many communities, and we love having the opportunity to further their work in this way,” says Zoobean co-founder and Chief Client Success Officer, Jordan Lloyd Bookey.
Social Nonprofit First Book Will Use Prize Money to Help More Kids
Of Cuban’s prize money, $25,000 was donated to to First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to children in need. The remaining $10,000, plus a $1,500 bonus from Zoobean, was distributed to the top-performing libraries. The funds can be used for community programs or donated to nonprofit organizations in each library’s area. “I’m inspired by the work libraries do for their communities,” says Cuban. “The prize for everyone is to pay it forward to an awesome organization focused on literacy and access to books.”
Since its founding in 1992, First Book has distributed more than 170 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families. “I believe that the most powerful force in the world is empathy,” says First Book’s president, co-founder and CEO Kyle Zimmer. “First Book is an ardent supporter of libraries and we are thrilled to be part of this program. We will absolutely put that $25,000 to work, serving kids in need.”
PARTICIPATING LIBRARIES INCLUDE THOSE LISTED BELOW
Alabama
- Homewood Public Library
California
- City of Commerce Public Library
- Huntington Beach Public Library
- Monrovia Public Library
- Woodland Public Library
Colorado
- Bud Werner Memorial Library
Delaware
- Dover Public Library
- New Castle Public Library
Florida
- Orange County Library System
- Sarasota County Library System
- Winter Park Public Library
- Yokosuka MWR Library
Georgia
- Marshes of Glynn Libraries
Hawaii
- Hawaii State Public Library System
Illinois
- Aurora Public Library
- Forest Park Public Library
- Jerseyville Public Library
- Matteson Area Public Library District
- Oswego Public Library District
- Plainfield Public Library District
- Schaumburg Township District Library
- Wauconda Area Library
Indiana
- Allen County Public Library
- Hamilton East Public Library
- New Albany-Floyd County Public Library
Iowa
- Des Moines Public Library
- Musser Public Library
- Waukee Public Library
Kentucky
- Daviess County Public Library
Maryland
- Calvert Library
- Charles County Public Library
- Howard County Library System
- Prince George's County Memorial Library System
- Wicomico Public Libraries
Michigan
- MacDonald Public Library
Minnesota
- Scott County Library
Mississippi
- First Regional Library
Missouri
- Christian County Library
Nebraska
- Keene Memorial Library
- Lincoln City Libraries
- Ralston's Baright Public Library
New Jersey
- Alexandria Township School District
- Clark Public Library
- East Rutherford Memorial Library
- Englewood Public Library
- Fort Lee Public Library
- Montclair Public Library
- North Hunterdon High School
- Norwood Public Library
- Nutley Public Library
- Paramus Public Library
- Roxbury Public Library
- Teaneck Public Library
New York
- Berne Public Library
- Crandall Public Library
- Guilderland Public Library
- Huntington Public Library
- Lakeview Public Library
- Liverpool Public Library
- Valley Falls Free Library
Nevada
- Carson City Library
North Carolina
- Durham County Library
- John L. Throckmorton Library
Ohio
- Muskingum County Library System
- Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library
Oregon
- McMinnville Public Library
South Dakota
- Yankton Community Library
Tennessee
- NAF Atsugi Station Library
- The Brentwood Library
Texas
- Balch Springs Library & Learning Center
- Crowley Public Library
- K-16 Air Base Library
- Mesquite Public Library
- NAS Fort Worth JRB Library
- Prosper Community Library
- Schertz Public Library
Virginia
- Alexandria Library
- Arlington Public Library
- Dahlgren General Library
- Suffolk Public Library
Washington
- Mount Vernon City Library
Wisconsin
- Kenosha Public Library
- La Crosse Public Library
- Menasha Joint School District
International
- Camp Walker Library (SOUTH KOREA)
- CFA Chinhae Library (SOUTH KOREA)
ABOUT BEANSTACK
Beanstack (www.beanstack.com) is an online platform for local families to participate in reading programs, early literacy initiatives, and book clubs. The service provides tools to track their reading and earn incentives, as well as sending personalized emails or text messages recommending a book or upcoming event. For libraries and schools, Beanstack makes it easy to register patrons, create reading and activity challenges, and produce extensive reports. The entire experience is set apart by the software’s easy usability and customized, mobile-first design. In 2018, Beanstack plans to launch a first-of-its-kind mobile app designed to encourage reading all year long.
ABOUT FIRST BOOK
First Book transforms the lives of children in need. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education — making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources, to sports equipment, winter coats, snacks, and more – affordable to its member network of more than 350,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 170 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 3 million children every year and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million classrooms and programs serving children in need. With an additional 1,000 educators joining each week, First Book is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators in the United States exclusively serving kids in need.
Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
