Mesa residents recorded over 15 million minutes of reading in 2025 as part of the Mesa Reads initiative, a year-long program led by Mesa Public Library to encourage daily reading and promote literacy throughout the community.
The initiative invited people of all ages to read for at least 15 minutes each day. Participants used the Beanstack app to track their progress and took part in monthly challenges that offered virtual tickets for raffle prize drawings. The program aimed to foster consistent reading habits and highlight the benefits of literacy beyond traditional reading programs.
A total of 5,468 people participated across four age groups: 626 pre-readers, 2,701 children, 606 teens, and 1,535 adults. In addition, 43 classrooms from Mesa Public Schools joined the effort, logging more than 730,000 minutes and nearly 15,000 books read.
“We’re thrilled by the response to this program, and we encourage everyone to keep reading in 2026 and beyond,” said Polly Bonnett, Director of Mesa Public Library. “We believe in the power of reading to transform lives, spark imagination and build connections. This initiative brought together residents, schools and other community partners to highlight what we can achieve when we unite around a common goal.”
Mesa Public Library offers free library cards for anyone who has lived in Maricopa County for at least thirty consecutive days per year or who works, owns property or attends school within the county. Those interested can register at any branch with a photo ID. More information is available on mesalibrary.org.
