What are you reading?

2016 is officially over, and 2017 is here. I'm sure many of you share my wonderment at how momentous the past 12 months have been. Issues relating to global conflicts, the climate change debate, and the presidential election touched us all. For me, it highlighted how important it is to share ideas and information freely, and the library’s fundamental role in doing just that, broadly and available to all. One of the ways we can do that is to share what we're reading.

For some of us, reading more books is a New Year's resolution. For others, the recent presidential election inspired us to read about politics and history. And we know that some may want to celebrate the New Year by curling up with a romance novel or a new mystery. Personally, I've spent the first couple of days of 2017 reading A.S. Byatt's The Children' Book.

Whatever you're reading, we can all agree on one thing: the need to read.

Today we ask you to take one minute to show how important reading is to you. Post a photo or title of the book you're currently reading to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other social media platforms—and include the hashtag #ReadersUnite in your posts.

Together we will show just how important reading is in 2017.

And if you need a new book, we've got you covered.

We're already hearing from people all over the world. Here are a few posts from fellow libraries and authors:

Need more inspiration or information? Check out our #ReadersUnite resources.