07/20/2022
Summer Reading Wrap-up: A Smashing Success – by Brittney Uecker, Youth Services Librarian
Oceans of Possibilities, our 2022 Summer Reading Program, was a smashing success. For the past six weeks, the Library has been steeped in all things water related and brought exciting and educational programs to all ages. While many aspects of the program change every year, participation in Summer Reading is always completely free and focuses on encouraging literacy, fun, and community engagement.
Here are some highlights and statistics for this year’s program:
• We had 232 youth participants sign up for Summer Reading this year, ranging from two months old to sixteen years. There were 95 adults who signed up for the adult program.
• Each age group had a designated day for programs each week, and we had great attendance at all of them. We had 232 babies and caregivers attend our Books & Babies program for littles. Three-hundred sixty-five 6-10 year olds attended our Middles program and learned about seashells, competed in the pirate Olympics, and built boats. We made vision boards, did citizen science, and made tie-dye masterpieces with 22 teens. Our Humanities Montana speakers series brought in 163 adult participants and inspired lots of community conversation.
• Ninety-nine new patrons signed up for library cards during our Summer Reading Program, giving them free access to all the diverse, quality materials and services we offer.
• Over 1200 charms were given out to youth participants, representing over 1200 Summer Reading activities completed, which included attending programs, participating in the weekly scavenger hunt and “learn & shares”, and finishing reading logs. While points for the adult program are still being tallied, hundreds of points were earned for the various adult Summer Reading activities, which included programs, tracked reading, front desk challenges, community events, and more.
• The Library’s original podcast, In the Stacks, had 35 new listens over the course of Summer Reading. Subscribe on all major podcast platforms to listen to more episodes on the way featuring several of our Humanities Montana presenters.
• I gave away 100 popsicles in less than twenty minutes at our Free Pool Day at the City Pool on July 9.
There are so many other benefits of the Summer Reading Program that we can’t even begin to quantify, including the many, many hours and pages read, the fun we had, the things we learned, and the meaningful engagement that was fostered within our community. I’ve described Summer Reading as the SuperBowl of the Library, and it feels like we’ve won a big, shiny trophy. Thank you to everyone that was a part of it.
