Hear the magic of Harry Potter during marathon reading Sept. 25

Harry Potter's magic will be filling the air of the Lee R. Glatfelter Library at Penn State York on Thursday, Sept. 25, when the campus has a marathon reading of J. K. Rowling’s work “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”  The reading begins at noon and won’t end until the book has been completed; estimated end time is 7 p.m. A variety of volunteers will be taking turns reading the chapters aloud as they progress through the book. Those interested in reading can volunteer by visiting http://bitly.com/readharry and registering by Sept. 23. Others who just want to hear the story should be at the library by noon. The event is free and open to the public.Stephanie Diaz, reference and instruction librarian, organized the event. She chose “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” because a major part of the story focuses on Harry beginning his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Diaz hopes it will remind those familiar to the series, how exciting it can be to go back to school. She also wants to introduce readers to the Potter collection.Diaz had the idea for a marathon read because she heard an advertisement for a similar event taking place at the University Park campus of Penn State involving other books. The marathon read has become a tradition.“When I decided to organize the event, I was trying to think of traditions we could start here at Penn State York, said Diaz. “So many students seem to think that they cannot have a ‘traditional’ college experience at a commuter campus, but I believe they can."When Diaz thought of her own experience attending Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and periodically attending the smaller commuter campus, BGSU Firelands, she realized that one of the things commuter campuses seem to be missing is a sense of history and tradition. Her goal is for the marathon read to become a tradition at Penn state York.“If all goes well at York, hopefully the students will take this idea and run with it, making it an annual tradition, where members of the entire campus come together to share this common experience,” she said.According to Diaz, there are numerous reports about the Harry Potter series being banned by schools and groups, so the library staff decided to use this idea as an opportunity to celebrate intellectual freedom. The marathon read is being hosted during Banned Books Week, which is the "national book community's annual celebration of the freedom to read."This event also supports the Penn State York library First-Year Experience, ConnectED, as well as the PA Forward initiative by promoting basic literacy and a love of reading.