Durham has not been immune to the recent unrest surrounding questions of racial equity and the relationship between communities and those sworn to protect them. Library Director Tammy Baggett recognized the potential for the library to help. She selected Congressman John Lewis’ graphic novel memoir, March, co-written by Andrew Aydin, as the 2014 Durham Reads Together (DRT) selection – a perfect fit for a diverse community searching for a way to come together. DRT: March allowed us to push our biennial community reads program to new heights.

Our desired outcomes included:

• Reinforcing the concept of the library as a place where communities meet, learn, share and plan for positive change
• Increasing participation in DRT
• Attracting young adult readers
• Introducing a new genre (graphic biography) to DRT
• Diversifying the DRT audience

The project kept the focus on the concept of community by using the “Durham … Together” theme, including the “Durham Marches Together” unity march; “Durham Remembers Together,” which commemorated the March on Washington; and “Durham Sings Together,” a historic intramural performance by the three local colleges and universities of Duke, Durham Tech and HBCU North Carolina Central. The Library was able to host a high profile kickoff weekend to maximize community exposure to the Congressman and DRT initiative. The DRT: March event create a compelling brand for DRT that highlights and exposed new audiences to the graphic novel genre; both teen and adult book clubs read March and hosted displays related to the civil rights struggle in Durham.

Building community: Patrons thanked us repeatedly for DRT 2014. Members of the community asked questions, discussed concerns, heard from experts and collaborated with one another. At least two events led to future collaborations geared toward addressing current civil and human rights challenges.

Increasing participation: Attendance numbers more than doubled – from about 750 in 2012, to 1,650 in 2014.

Attracting teens: Teen book club participation was high, and many teens chose to read the graphic memoir as part of a fine read-down program.

Introducing a new genre: Circulation for Adult Graphic Biographies more than doubled from the previous fiscal year, from 613 to 1,345.

Diversifying the audience: It was amazing to see Durhamites of every color, age, race and creed take part in DRT.