In the Fall of 2017, the University of Memphis McWherter Library initiated a project to engage with users as members of a nascent peer community of readers. Via an interactive display in the library during Welcome Week, visitors to the library were encouraged to "share" their favorite book. Subsequent steps include creating additional interactive programming and creating a browsing collection. The project sought to: encourage reading as both an intellectual and a recreational activity; collect information about the reading interest and behavior of our library users; encourage the interaction and growth of the peer community of readers through engagement with the library; collect information to better serve them through our collections.
