Summer Reading Programs

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Summer Reading Programs

History

Summer reading programs began in the 1890s as a way to encourage school children, particularly those in urban areas and not needed for farm work, to read during their summer vacation, use the library and develop the habit of reading. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has prepared resources on Why Summer Reading Is Important, Tips and Resources for Parents, Recommended Reading Lists for Kids and Parents and Bibliography/Resources for Librarians.

Themes

The American Library Association does not set the themes for summer reading programs held at many public libraries nationwide. These may be set by the individual library or by the state library. Many individual or state libraries use the themes set by the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.

Grants

The value of reading throughout the long summer vacation is recognized by the ALSC/BWI Reading Program Grant which is designed to encourage reading programs for children in a public library by providing financial assistance of $3,000, while recognizing ALSC members for outstanding program development. It is sponsored by BWI (Book Wholesalers, Inc.), and administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Applications are due by December 1 of each year in support of a program the next summer.

Public Relations

There are also public relations benefits of attracting new readers, maintaining or building a library presence in the community, and keeping or building traffic for the library. Over the years, many libraries have entered their summer reading program into the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, co-sponsored by The H.W. Wilson Company and the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), a division of the American Library Association.

Benefits

There are benefits to the readers in that summer reading can help reading become a lifelong habit, reluctant readers can be drawn in by the activities, reading over the summer helps kids keep their skills up, the program can generate interest in the library and books.

And it being summer, the program can just be good fun and provide an opportunity for family time.

Research

No Child Left Behind Summer Reading Achievers 2004 - Atlanta Schools

Resources

Soltan, Rita. Summer Reading Renaissance: An Interactive Exhibits Approach. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.

Sample Programs

Some 2007 Summer Reading Programs
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