August 21, 2026
Story by Joe Vinduska
The Barton Reading Challenge is back at the Barton Library for the 2026-27 year and is open to faculty, students, staff, their friends and family, and community members in Barton’s service area.
The challenge encourages participants to read books that fit a different theme each month while supporting reading as an activity that can boost mental well-being. Participants may read print books, eBooks, audiobooks, or graphic novels.
To participate, readers select a book that matches the month's theme and complete the Reading Challenge Submission Form, available at library.bartonccc.edu. Forms are also available at Murphy's Landing in the Barton Library. There is no limit to the number of books participants may read for each monthly theme.
The participant with the most confirmed submissions will win a big prize. Those who complete at least three monthly themes will receive an invitation to a celebration in Great Bend.
Monthly themes include: September: A book that centers on food, October: A book adapted to television or film, November: A fiction or nonfiction book published in or about the year the reader was born, plus or minus one year, December: Mood Read, reader's choice, January: A biography, autobiography, or memoir about a famous person associated with Kansas, February: A book with a first sentence of eight words or fewer, March: A book with a magical element, April: A book about books, bookstores, or libraries, Bonus theme: Graphic novel.
For more information, contact the Barton Library at (620) 792-9366, email library@bartonccc.edu, or visit library.bartonccc.edu.