Composition Reading Bank: Overview - Start Here

Welcome to the Composition Reading Bank, a repository of links to freely available texts that replaces a traditional reader for Composition courses. Texts are organized by thematic tabs, and within each tab, texts are alphabetized by the authors’ last names. Accompanying each listed text are two things: 1) a brief summary; 2) a small, lower-case "i" that, when clicked/tapped, provides a brief example of how the text might be used in a Composition course (and more ideas are always welcome!). There is also a tab for an interactive Table of Contents and a tab answering Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

To make the texts easier to read, use Reader View, available for most browsers on computers, mobile devices, and cell phones. Reader View increases the readability of texts by changing the page’s text size, contrast, and layout and removing the clutter of buttons, ads, and background images. The Reader View icon typically appears at the right of the URL box at the top of a browser. The icon can look different depending on what browser you are using.  Here are the most commonly-used icons:         Please note: Reader View can occasionally omit opening paragraphs. Instructors are encouraged to double-check this before assigning particular readings to students.

If a link takes you to an external site (outside of the Composition Reading Bank), follow the appropriate citation guidelines based on the documentation style you are using (MLA, APA, etc.). For articles hosted by the Composition Reading Bank, use this template if using MLA format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Composition Reading Bank, URL. Accessed Date of Access.

For example:

Thoreau, Henry David. “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For.” Composition Reading Bank, library.cscc.edu/hdthoreau. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020.

The Composition Reading Bank is meant to be an ongoing collaborative project; users should contact Nick Lakostik at nlakosti@cscc.edu if they have ideas for freely accessible texts that would be good additions to the Composition Reading Bank. A summary of what the text is about and how it is or could be useful in your Composition course would also be appreciated. Please also send information about broken links to the same email address.