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As part of National Reading Month, Sioux City librarians discuss value of reading, trends & how to nab reluctant readers

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Books in a library.
Books in a library.

For this episode of What’s The Frequency, March is National Reading Month, and we have some guests who are well situated to discuss reading and books and libraries.

Several years ago, i saw an article on The Onion satirical site;
"Student graduates from high school, vows to never read another book." I went to school with that kind of kid, and I think about that one a lot.

On top of that, the origin for this show came a few months ago with a survey..

Of 1,500 Americans surveyed, 46 percent finished zero books last year and 5 percent read just one.

My guests are Sioux City Public Library Director Helen Rigdon, and from the Sioux City School District, Emily Fischer, a teacher librarian at East High School.

Fischer and Rigdon discuss the value of reading, not only for individual people, but also the broader society.
They also debate whether it matters what a person reads, or just that a person reads?

Rigdon and Fischer also discuss how to get reluctant readers to try rewading, the value of book clubs, the Sioux City Reads endeavor and how National Reading Month is marked.

Rigdon said there were 240,000 Sioux City library system users last year, which was up from 2024.

*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 99.

Sioux City Public Library Director Helen Rigdon and American Library Association President Sam Helmick, of Iowa City, attended the Iowa Library Association conference at the Sioux City Convention Center on October 2, 2025. (Bret Hayworth, Siouxland Public Media News)
Sioux City Public Library Director Helen Rigdon and American Library Association President Sam Helmick, of Iowa City, attended the Iowa Library Association conference at the Sioux City Convention Center on October 2, 2025. (Bret Hayworth, Siouxland Public Media News)

Bret Hayworth is a native of Northwest Iowa and graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with nearly 30 years working as an award-winning journalist. He enjoys conversing with people to tell the stories about Siouxland that inform, entertain, and expand the mind, both daily in SPM newscasts and on the weekly show What's The Frequency.
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