Paul Collins-Hackett, also known in the community as Batman, has been spending a lot of time lately making a building his second bat cave.

“I get super excited when I see all these books,” he said.

That’s because his new role as executive director at The Red BookShelf has given him key tools to get kids reading.

“This gives us a headquarters that is super community based. We’re here where lots of kids live,” he said.

So you already know when he steps into his “Bat-mobile," he's on a mission to spread his joy for reading around the city.

“I think about people, and keep in mind everyone has a story,” he said.

He’s helping the program literally get a story in the hands of every Capital Region kid for free.

“The reason why we needed to hire Paul is because we need to expand and he’s bringing the capabilities to scale up," said Rachel Eveleth, founder of the Red Bookshelf.

Along the way, there's another superhero who is helping Paul fight illiteracy around the city, like at Jamil Hood's "House of Hoops" youth center that doubles as a space to tighten up kids' reading games.

“We are going to use this as a reading room for parents and children,” Hood said.

It's the same with a doctor's office on Clinton Avenue where the Reb Bookshelf needs constant re-stocking.

“That means kids are taking the books. They are interested and engaged,” said Collins-Hackett.

And lastly, a studio collaboration with Boys and Girls Club director David Gordon, using music.

“And what we’re going to do is have kids pick a poem they love and write lyrics to it,” Collins-Hackett said.

He said unlike his previous job with the city of Albany, his new role at the Red Bookshelf, coupled with his partnerships, gives him the ability to directly help people in his community.

“This gives me the freedom to work with anything, whereas with the city I was tied down and I just felt like I wasn’t as impactful as I could be,” he said.

They are currently trying to collect 10,000 books by November.