Innovative Reading Exercise Program Confuses Librarians and Fitness Experts Alike
The New York Public Library has unveiled its latest initiative to promote literacy and fitness simultaneously: treadmill desks equipped with book holders, allowing patrons to walk slowly while reading, or as library director Marcus Henderson calls it, “multitasking our way to a more educated society.”
The program, funded by a $1.2 million grant from a tech billionaire who swears he read an entire book once, features twenty treadmills set at a maximum speed of 1.5 miles per hourslow enough to read, fast enough to technically count as exercise, and exactly the right speed to annoy everyone involved.
“We’re addressing two critical public health crises,” Henderson explained at Tuesday’s launch event, during which he attempted to read a speech while walking and stumbled over both his words and his feet. “Sedentary lifestyles and declining literacy rates. This solves both problems, assuming you can read while mildly dizzy.”
The reading treadmill program joins a growing trend of combining activities that work perfectly fine separately but become awkward when merged. The library already offers “Cardio Book Club” and “Yoga While Listening to Audiobooks,” both of which have primarily attracted people who enjoy telling others they do these things.
Early adopters of the treadmill reading program have reported mixed results. “I got through half a chapter of ‘War and Peace’ before I realized I hadn’t retained a single word,” said patron Jennifer Martinez. “But my Fitbit was thrilled, so that’s something.”
The treadmills have created unexpected social dynamics in the traditionally quiet library environment. The machines’ mechanical humming has forced librarians to abandon their famous “SHHH” in favor of what one staff member describes as “exhausted resignation.” Meanwhile, patrons waiting for available treadmills have begun passive-aggressively exercising nearby, doing lunges while making intense eye contact with current users.
“I’ve been here for forty-five minutes watching this guy read ‘Goodnight Moon’ at 0.8 miles per hour,” complained Marcus Thompson. “That book has thirty-two pages. This is a hostage situation.”
Library staff have reported numerous operational challenges. Books frequently fall off the holders onto the moving belt, creating what reference librarian Patricia Wong describes as “tiny literary escalators.” Several patrons have attempted to check out the treadmills themselves, confused about whether the equipment or the books are the library materials. One man tried to renew his treadmill time for three weeks.
The program has also exposed fundamental questions about reading comprehension while in motion. NYU researcher Dr. Robert Kim conducted an informal study finding that treadmill readers retained approximately 34% less information than stationary readers, leading him to conclude that “this is basically expensive walking with extra steps.”
“The problem is that reading requires focus, and walking requires physical coordination,” explained cognitive psychologist Dr. Sarah Lopez. “Most people can do one or the other competently, but combining them creates what we call ‘doing two things badly simultaneously.'”
Despite the criticism, the library plans to expand the program, with discussions underway for stationary bikes with audiobooks, elliptical machines with e-readers, and, most ambitiously, a rock-climbing wall where classics of literature are printed on the holds.
When asked whether the program actually improves either literacy or fitness, Henderson paused before saying, “It’s about the journey, not the destination. Literally. You’re walking but not going anywhere.”
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/library-book-treadmills-launched/
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