Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Tahleen remembers Summer Reading at the library

As a public youth librarian, I have the great honor and responsibility of organizing and executing the Summer Reading Program, along with my director and the children's librarian. This week I'll be going to the public school to tell my young patrons all about it, and I can't help but remember the summer reading programs of my youth.

It was one of my favorite things about summer. I was a voracious reader, and summer was that magical time where I could literally lie in bed for 6 hours and read an entire book. And back then, I didn't have a TBR or the Internet to tell me which books were good or bad, or which authors were popular. I browsed freely and often, finding books on the library shelves based solely on the back descriptions, and maybe a recommendation from a friend every once in a while.

And the excitement of the prizes! I loved filling out my little sheet with each book I read, earning myself raffle entries for gift certificates and other prizes from local businesses. Sometimes I would even get the call that I had won something, and I would beg my mom to bring me to the library so I could pick it up.

Funnily enough, the summer reading program for the kids in the town where I work is similar to what I remember from my childhood. I am hoping these kids will remember this summer reading program as fondly as I remember my own.

Did you all take part in your library's summer reading program? What do you remember best about it? Or did you just love to boundless possibilities summer brought?

15 comments:

  1. Our library's summer reading program is all online now, and it makes me a little sad. I miss the paper they have to fill out.

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  2. Oh, yeah, I did it. I loved it, too.

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  3. I would always start it and fill out the first few book I read, and then I'd just breeze through a bunch of books and forget to mark them in. The paper would end up scrunched up in the bottom of the basket where we put all our library books.
    Maybe other voracious child readers made it work, but for me, it seemed more of a motivational thing for reluctant readers. The book was always better than the prize for me anyway. :-)
    (Though now they're giving out iPads for the raffle winner. WHAT. They also have teen and adult versions that I may just have to join!)

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  4. I am a HUGE participant. Also, being the book nerd that I am, I usually finish in the first two weeks of summer. My favorite part is always getting the new book!

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  5. Loved doing the summer reading program growing up, and my kids enjoy doing it now :) My library also has an adult summer reading program, so I do that as well!

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  6. I did the summer reading program EVERY summer! I remember coming home with 2 plastic drawstring bags full of books every week. I remember crafts. I remember story time, going to the library in our pajamas in the evening for a bedtime story. It was a magical time...before the Internet, and before school sucked all the fun out of reading.

    Then it became a chore and a bore, and I won't get on my soapbox about the literary cannon. But yes, summer reading!!!

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  7. I used to love the summer reading program as a child also, now sadly i barely have time to read. I REALLY wish that they had something like that for adults in my area.

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  8. This just brought back so many memories! I adored my library's reading program. Hope you have an amazing time organizing it all, sounds like a dream :)

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  9. Oh, yes. Loved the weekly trips each summer and the time spent choosing the books!

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  10. Sadly I wasn't a big reader growing up so I didn't take part in the library for a long time. I now go to the library all the time since 6ish years ago I fell in love with reading. I wish I had had a childhood full of books though but I'm glad I love reading now.

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  11. I used to love our library's summer program. They didn't have rewards, but if you reached your goal by the end of the summer, you got a coupon for a free Subway kids meal, which was pretty awesome because my family didn't have much money and we never ate out. So a free meal was great for me..lol

    I loved going to the library in general and would go every week and check out 10+ books. The same with the school library, I would check out probably 3-5 books a day. I read that much when I was little. :P

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  12. I would always participate in my library's summer reading program as a kid. And then when I became a teenager, I volunteered for it, talking to the kids about which books they had read for the rewards. It was a great time and I'd totally volunteer again if I found out there were opportunities!

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  13. I love the summer reading program - my daughter and I are both looking forward to!!!

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