READERBANK
reimagining imagination
The world’s most ambitious study of
reading, imagination and well-being.
How do people imagine when reading?
How are fictional characters represented in the mind?
What can the reading experience tell us about our health and wellbeing?
The ReaderBank aims to answer these questions.
In collaboration with Edinburgh International Book Festival, and hosted at Durham University’s Institute for Medical Humanities, the ReaderBank houses a collection of scientific data surrounding reading experiences and imagination.
Want to help us grow our collective understanding? Keep scrolling to see what activities we have ongoing this year!
At ReaderBank, we’re always asking questions about reading, the imagination, and wellbeing. But to find the answers, we need your help!
Each year we aim to launch new activities, update old favourites, and run new surveys.
We do this in person at our annual installation at the Edinburgh International Book Festival each August, which you can learn more about on our Festival 2024 page.
But you don’t need to attend in person to participate! If you want to try out some of our ReaderBank modules, take your pick from our 2024 rotation! If you want to learn more about what each module looks to find, take a look at our Involvement page.
Jump in…
Can you walk between worlds?
This year, our survey delves into the Power of Immersion, and how we might transport ourselves into these narrative landscapes. Sign-up to take our 2024 survey!
What kind of reader are you?
How do you imagine while you read? Find out with the return of our fan-favourite Imagination Quiz, now further refined thanks to our 2023 participants!
How do characters sound to you?
We’ve teamed up with experts in voice perception to develop VoiceMatch, a new activity where you can explore how fictional characters sound to you.
