Who remembers RIF?

Posted by KLLR_ROBOT@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 47 comments

When I was in grade school, the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Bookmobile would visit our school, and they would lay out tables of books in the cafeteria/multipurpose room. We’d be taken, by class, to the books and were allowed to pick one or two books to keep. I’ve mentioned this to various people of similar age, and nobody knows what I’m talking about. There were promo spots on TV for it, and it was a regular thing at my school. The program still exists, though I haven’t seen a RIF truck in decades. Anyone else remember RIF?

Reply to Post

47 Comments

[-]

beachcombergurl@reddit

We lived in a shitty poor tiny apartment. They would come by the neighborhood. I remember being fascinated by a mobile library. It had ac and was small. But I thought it was neat.

[-]

notmyredditacct@reddit

i've been RIF'd a couple times now. i'd rather forget it.

[-]

XdraketungstenX@reddit

Lol. “Reduction In Force” is what I thought it was too.

[-]

creativetag@reddit

We had bookmobiles in the 70s, and RIF supporting fundraising.

[-]

666ForMySorrow@reddit

My brother used to say Reading Is Fun For Mentals.

[-]

sillytricia@reddit

Rif is still out there. I just got an email asking me to donate

[-]

NoKing9900@reddit

I remember when they showed up at my grade school! I was and still am a big reader. And in middle school we had the Scholastic Book Fairs!

[-]

worrymon@reddit

How did you get so smart? READING!

[-]

PuzzleheadedWeird402@reddit

Reading Is Fundamental. I remember the ads, but never came across the bookmobiles.

[-]

skiphandleman@reddit

Same

[-]

RootHogOrDieTrying@reddit

I grew up way out in the boondocks and the bookmobile was my lifeline to literacy.

[-]

SpicyTomato2023@reddit

We had the Bookmobile. I remember walking to where it would park during summer break. We would check out books and return ones we’d finished. My elementary school would also have the book giveaway. I was so happy if they had anything superhero related or even better, a Choose Your Own Adventure book.

[-]

KLLR_ROBOT@reddit (OP)

Choose Your Own Adventure books were the best

[-]

ScreenTricky4257@reddit

> cafeteria/multipurpose room We had a cafetorium.

[-]

intensenerd@reddit

Ours is a cafegymatoreum

[-]

ReadingCat88@reddit

My 5th and 6th grade classmates thought they were too cool for free books. My 5th grade teacher just piled them in a corner very disrespectfully. I was very excited for free books and took home as many as interested me.

[-]

SBJames69@reddit

This is still a running gag on RuPauls Drag Race. Before they “read” (insult) each other Ru says “Reading is what?” And the queens reply “Fundamental”.

[-]

worstpartyever@reddit

![gif](giphy|wzrK2uFaV30amUpcSY|downsized)

[-]

norrisdt@reddit

I still remember this Onion article from 1997: [https://theonion.com/reading-is-fundamentalists-slaughter-52-illiterates-1819564491/](https://theonion.com/reading-is-fundamentalists-slaughter-52-illiterates-1819564491/)

[-]

worstpartyever@reddit

This is fantastic

[-]

KLLR_ROBOT@reddit (OP)

“900-page manifesto” 🤣🤣🤣

[-]

la_pan_ther_rose@reddit

Meeee

[-]

shawncollins512@reddit

I remember those commercials and then when I overheard my parents talking about my dad being Rif’d from his federal government job by Reagan, I was so confused.

[-]

CommunicationNew3745@reddit

The RIF mobile used to visit the big city park in Pt Myers FLA when I was a kid - we got to choose 2 books, and someone always read to us. It was Incredible. When we moved back up north, outside Chicago and RIF's tv commercials, no one had any idea what we were talking about.

[-]

Waste-Job-3307@reddit

Yeah - I remember those commercials but ever saw the vehicle around my city. Always thought it was a good thing though.

[-]

the_answer_is_RUSH@reddit

Dexter Manley

[-]

InvestigatorJaded261@reddit

I remember this ad so vividly.

[-]

hu_gnew@reddit

I went to a very small school. We were allowed 2 books but we had to return them when they came back in a couple weeks.

[-]

WAstargazer@reddit

I was a librarian that subbed a lot, including on the bookmobile. It was a happy feeling seeing underserved areas and helping kids find books. Happy memories 🥰

[-]

KLLR_ROBOT@reddit (OP)

That’s amazing 😄

[-]

Valuable_Bell1617@reddit

Nowadays, beyond kids not reading as much, I see RIF and I think of layoffs…

[-]

KLLR_ROBOT@reddit (OP)

Why’s that?

[-]

hu_gnew@reddit

Reduction In Force

[-]

Ok_Industry3016@reddit

Used get so excited lol.

[-]

CawlinAlcarz@reddit

I remember the RIF commercials well and the Bookmobile too.

[-]

yanknga@reddit

Yes. We had RIF. I loved when it would visit.

[-]

doghouse73@reddit

Yeah we had one that came to our elementary school once a year usually near summer break, the teacher would hand out the book list a couple days before they showed up then when they showed up each class got go walk through and buy some reading books or activity books, man this brings back so many memories.

[-]

SMACN@reddit

Even if our parent's did give much of a shit about us, at least our educational system hadn't been completely trashed yet. I was a huge reader as a kid, and I remember RIF quite fondly!

[-]

gmkrikey@reddit

Whenever someone clearly didn’t read or understand my email, I’d think “reading is fundamental”.

[-]

Monkeynutz_Johnson@reddit

I use that on some of the new kids in the shop, amazing how many of them have a case of foolish over confidence. When I lived in Augusta, GA in the mid/late 70s the bookmobile came to our neighborhood. I'd walk my little brother and sister the 3 blocks to where they parked.

[-]