Monday, June 9, 2025

Summer is coming!

Summer is coming! 

Photo by Drew Perales on Unsplash
Summer is coming, or for some it has already arrived. All the planning, all the prep, all the school visits have lead us to this moment...Summer Reading/Library Program! A coworker and I stopped at the Waunakee Public Library - shout out to Youth Services Manager Brittany who talked to us all about their summer program when we dropped in unexpectedly, and it got me curious about what libraries do for their summer program. I've seen all kinds of reading programs for in my time in libraries and I love that every time I talk to someone new I can learn something and a new idea is sparked.  

Middleton Public Library has a one size fits all summer reading program where all ages do the same program. Each person chooses their own goal (number of books or number of hours read) and gets to pick from a selection of books and sponsor coupons when they meet their goal. They are also entered into the grand prize drawings. There are separate drawings based on age group and the grand prizes are different, but other than that, it's the same for everyone. 

My favorite thing about Waunakee's program (which was broken down by Teen and Preteen, and children) was that their goals were based on days read. What a genius idea! It seems like they've found a great way to get kids to read throughout the summer, not just rush through to get a prize. They also have a separate program for adults for the summer, so everyone can participate. 

What does your library do? How does your summer program run? Have you found a great way to keep kids reading?

To learn more about Middleton or Waunakee's summer programs, visit their websites:
Middleton https://www.midlibrary.org/srp
Waunakee https://www.waunakeepubliclibrary.org/summer-reading-program



1 comment:

Brittany Gitzlaff said...

Thanks for the shout out! Good luck to everyone beginning their programs! :)