GLS patrons Aracely and Angela enjoyed trying out some drumming at the 2023 Summer Reading kickoff event at Decatur Library.
The GLS Summer Reading Program for 2023 wrapped up in early August, bringing a sense of accomplishment to all who took part. With our overall library mission being That All May Read, you could say that an important element of the summer program is That All May Have Fun Reading.
Statewide, and all across the country, public libraries host summer reading programs to encourage children and families to read for fun during the summer months. Research shows that children who read during the summer have a better chance at avoiding the “summer slide” (loss of reading skills gained during the school year) and may even show some growth in their reading ability. Linking reading with hands-on fun, involving the whole family, and placing reading at the center of a community celebration are time-honored strategies at which public libraries excel.
With our special mission, our targeted community of readers, and a population that extends across all of Georgia, GLS by necessity must approach summer reading somewhat differently than a traditional public library. Active GLS patrons number close to 10,000, but less than 3% of that number are under age 18. So, while one of our goals for this year’s GLS Summer Reading Program was to engage a greater number of our younger patrons with the program, the fact remains that the greatest proportion of our patrons who interact with us throughout the year are adults. In fact, about 72% of GLS active patrons are over the age of 55. During the summer of 2023, we wanted to keep our senior (and younger) adults interested and engaged with our program, while also offering activities and incentives that would appeal to our K-12 students and address the classic objective of summer reading programs everywhere: to keep kids reading.
Earlier this year, our team of GLS library staff set out to design a summer reading program that might achieve our goals. We created four age groups, set reading goals for each, and put together a schedule of activities, both in-person and virtual. For the first time in 2023, we used Beanstack as an online platform where patrons could report their reading hours and activity points. Patrons who are more comfortable communicating by phone or email were still welcome to report their participation by those means.
Our in-person kickoff event, co-hosted by DeKalb County Public Library at their Decatur branch on June 8, was a great success, with more than 50 people of all abilities in attendance. Babatunde the Griot delivered a multisensory storytelling and drumming experience that demonstrated how making a show accessible to all means it will be fun for everyone. Our friends at Imagination Playground offered guests a hands-on play opportunity with some of their big foam blocks and bones. Generous donations from Mellow Mushroom and ongoing support from our Friends of GLS group ensured free refreshments for all. Decatur Library staff and volunteers from the Friends of the Decatur Library helped guide guests in and out of the facility.
In 2023, our parent library, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), debuted an impressive lineup of summer reading program content that was available to all NLS patrons. We were excited to offer these virtual presentations to our patrons as an expansion of our locally hosted programs and activities. High-profile authors such as Kwame Alexander and Shelby Van Pelt gave author talks, interactive Turtle Dance Music presentations got everybody moving and making some noise, and we even had a special story time reading from the Librarian of Congress herself, Dr. Carla Hayden.
Overall, GLS participation in 2023 Summer Reading improved over recent years, and we were pleased that 50% of the people who signed up at the beginning of the summer achieved their reading goals and completed the program. Of the 38 people who registered, 19 hit the finish line and received completion prize packets. It is worth celebrating that three of our finishers this year (better than 15%) were in the 9-12 age group.
Including the roster of NLS programming, our summer reading participants had a total of 24 get-togethers (in-person and virtual) they could attend as part of the program, plus about 20 casual activities they could explore on their own time, at home or in their local communities. Active participants all received some fun incentives by mail at midsummer, and everyone who finished the program got a prize. Two grand prize winners, Elizabeth W. and Kalena M., earned gift cards for going above and beyond, with the most reading hours in their age groups.
Finally, we are proud to point out that our GLS patron community boasts some very prodigious readers. During the nine weeks of the program, GLS Summer Reading participants logged a total of 3,770 reading hours. Just imagine the mind-blowing amount of reading time that all GLS patrons must put in year-round! We would love to see more of our patrons in every age group get involved in summer reading next year, and make those numbers rise. We expect to kick off GLS Summer Reading again around June 1, 2024, so mark your calendars now and stay tuned for details.