A BOOK CLUB FOR A NATION, BUILT CHAPTER BY CHAPTER FINAL REPORT THE BIG READ January 2007—July 2008 Submitted to the National Endowment for the Arts 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20506 by Rockman et al 3925 Hagan Street, Suite 301 Bloomington, IN 47401 49 Geary Street, Suite 530 San Francisco, CA 94108 A BOOK CLUB FOR A NATION, BUILT CHAPTER BY CHAPTER FINAL REPORT THE BIG READ January 2007—July 2008 Kay Sloan Michelle Honeyford Kristin Bass Acknowledgements We would like to thank the many people who have contributed to this report and to our study of The Big Read. Our sincerest thanks go to Sunil Iyengar, Tom Bradshaw, and Sarah Sullivan of the NEA’s Office of Research and Analysis, who gave us wise and steady guidance throughout the study. It has been a pleasure to work with them, and with others at the Arts Endowment and the Institute of Museum and Library Services whose love of reading, and desire to inspire it in others, created this important initiative. Special thanks go to Susan Chandler, Christine Taylor, and their staff at Arts Midwest, who graciously answered our many questions and requests and helped us follow the activities of three Big Read cycles and over three hundred sites from proposal through final report. We would also like to thank the grantees who helped us tell the story of The Big Read. They took part in surveys and interviews, and it was through their efforts that we heard from thousands of readers all over the country—attending events, reading The Big Read book with a class or book club, or filling out a post card slipped into a free book left in a coffee shop, bus, or waiting room. The data collection was extensive, and we owe a special thanks to Justin Robertson and all those who helped us sort, code, and enter data; to John Hansen, who helped us analyze it; and to Jennifer Borland, Code Violet, and other staff members who helped us put the report together. Finally, we would like to thank the grantees who served as our case study sites. In the midst of their busy Big Reads, they welcomed us to their communities, scheduled school visits and interviews, ferried us to events, and allowed us to share in the excitement of The Big Read. Kay Sloan Michelle Honeyford Kristin Bass TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ......................................................... VII PART ONE: IMPLEMENTATION .......................................... 1 SECTION 1: SITE CHARACTERISTICS AND SCOPE OF IMPLEMENTATION ..... 5 SECTION 2: BOOK SELECTION ...................................... 18 SECTION 3: PARTNERSHIPS ........................................ 21 SECTION 4: PROMOTION, MEDIA COVERAGE, AND PROGRAM RESOURCES .... 31 PART TWO: PARTICIPATION AND PROGRAMMING .......................... 38 SECTION 5: PARTICIPATION PROFILE ............................... 42 SECTION 6: POINT OF CONTACT .................................... 53 SECTION 7: TRENDS IN EVENT ATTENDANCE .......................... 56 SECTION 8: SUCCESS IN ATTRACTING AUDIENCES ..................... 62 PART THREE: THE IMPACT OF THE BIG READ ........................... 71 SECTION 9: THE ROLE OF LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS, AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS ............................................................... 76 SECTION 10: CAPACITY BUILDING .................................. 80 SECTION 11: SUSTAINABLE CHANGES AND PARTNERSHIPS ............... 88 PART FOUR: THE IMPACT OF THE BIG READ ............................ 92 SECTION 12: IMPACT ON READERS, READING, AND PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS ........................................................... 97 SECTION 13: READING AND PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS DURING THE BIG READ .......................................................... 101 SECTION 14: PARTICIPATION IN READING ACTIVITIES AFTER THE BIG READ .............................................................. 108 PART FIVE: THE HABIT OF READING ................................. 112 SECTION 15: PARTICIPATION IN THE BIG READ BY TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS ........................................................ 119 SECTION 16: THE READING HABITS OF TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS ...... 130 SECTION 17: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BIG READ ..................... 137 PART SIX: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................... 140 Rockman et al, THE BIG READ Final Report i PART SEVEN: METHODOLOGY ......................................... 151 APPENDIX A: INSTRUMENTS ……………………………………………………………………167 APPENDIX B: RESPONSES BY CYCLE, SITE, AND INSTRUMENT…………………………. 183 Rockman et al, THE BIG READ Final Report ii INDEX OF TABLES Table 1. Instrument Distribution and Data Collection ......... xiii Table 2. Number of Grantees and States Represented by Cycle ..... 5 Table 3. Numbers and Percentages of Big Read Grantees by Geographic Region ........................................ 7 Table 4. Overall Breakdown of Big Read Sites by Population Size . 8 Table 5. Range in Population Size ............................... 9 Table 6. Comparison of the Designated Big Read Populations to Overall Populations ..................................... 10 Table 7. Total Event, Book Discussions, and Attendance Figures . 11 Table 8. Book Club Discussions and Attendance Figures by Population Size ......................................... 12 Table 9. Event and Attendance Figures by Population Size ....... 12 Table 10. Big Read Funding Statistics .......................... 13 Table 11. Representation by Institution Type ................... 13 Table 12. Partner and Event Breakdown by Institution Type ...... 16 Table 13. Distribution of Big Read Titles across Cycles and Overall ................................................. 18 Table 14. Numbers of Partners by Population Size ............... 22 Table 15. Grantees’ Ratings of the Success of Partnerships ..... 27 Table 16. Grantees’ Ratings of the Sustainability of Partnerships ........................................................ 28 Table 17. Grantee Ratings of Materials and Resources ........... 33 Table 18. Number of Responses by Instrument, Site, and Cycle ... 39 Table 19. Post Card Responses—Range per Site, per Cycle ........ 39 Table 20. Event Card Responses—Range per Site, per Cycle ....... 39 Table 21. Participant Survey Responses—Range per Site, per Cycle ........................................................ 39 Table 22. Big Read Participant Demographic Profile ............. 42 Table 23. Race and Ethnicity of Big Read Survey Respondents .... 44 Table 24. Racial and Ethnic Representation in The Big Read Compared to SPPA and U.S. Census Representation ......... 45 Table 25. Participating Teens’ & Young Adults’ Literary-Related Activities During the Year Prior to The Big Read ........ 48 Table 26. If yes, how many books? (In the last 12 months) ...... 49 Table 27. How much time do you spend reading for pleasure every day? .................................................... 49 Table 28. What kinds of things do you read for pleasure? ....... 50 Table 29. Where do you typically get the books you read? ....... 50 Table 30. Reason for selecting the book most recently read for pleasure ................................................ 51 Table 31. If yes, how many books? .............................. 51 Table 32. How much time do you spend reading for pleasure every day? .................................................... 51 Table 33. What kinds of things do you read for pleasure? ....... 52 Table 34. Where Participants Heard about The Big Read .......... 53 Rockman et al, THE BIG READ Final Report iii Table 35. Contact through Newspapers, by Age ................... 54 Table 36. Grantees’ Ratings of Big Read Events ................. 56 Table 37. Percent Distribution of Event Attendance ............. 61 Table 38. Perceived Success in Reading Audiences ............... 62 Table 39. Grantee Survey Responses by Institution .............. 73 Table 40. Grantee Survey Response Distribution, Overall and by Cycle ................................................... 73 Table 41. Grantee Survey—Range per Site, per Cycle ............. 74 Table 42. The Big Read’s Impact on Visibility .................. 76 Table 43. The Big Read’s Impact on Planning, Promotion, and Partnerships ............................................ 82 Table 44. The Big Read’s Impact on Building Audiences .......... 84 Table 45. The Big Read’s Impact on Reading Habits and Interests 86 Table 46. Groundwork for Future Collaborations ................. 88 Table 47. Capacity for Community Coalitions .................... 88 Table 48. Participant Responses by Cycle and Instrument ........ 93 Table 49. Range in Participant Responses per Site .............. 93 Table 50. Participant Survey—Range per Site, per Cycle ......... 93 Table 51. Participant Follow-Up Survey Responses by Age ........ 93 Table 52. Participant Follow-Up Survey Responses by Level of Schooling ............................................... 94 Table 53. Ethnicity of Participant Follow-Up Survey Respondents 94 Table 54. Participation by Cycle and Overall .................. 101 Table 55. Proportionate Participation Rates by Gender ......... 104 Table 56. Participation by Level of Schooling ................. 105 Table 57. Participation by Reading Time ....................... 106 Table 58. Participant Follow-Up Survey Responses .............. 108 Table 59. Representation of Case Study Sites .................. 114 Table 60. Focus Group Participants/Student Checklist Respondents ....................................................... 115 Table 61. Ethnicity of Student Checklist Respondents .......... 116 Table 62. Teens’ and Young Adults’ Reports of Reading