By Jan Pease
This year marks my 25th
summer reading program. I remember some of the themes, but I would
find it difficult to remember each one. One
of my favorites was “Library Kids Lead the Way,” during the time we were
planning the new building. We drew
gigantic characters on huge pieces of paper that were hung up high on the north
wall. I used to spend hours and hours
enlarging pictures for decorations and cutting things out. Now I tend to find an easier way: precut
paper products and bulletin board kits.
Something that hasn’t changed is our commitment as a library to
encourage young people to become lifetime learners. The program we’re using this year, “Read for the
Win,” is provided by iREAD, which stands
for Illinois Reading Enrichment and Development.
”iREAD
stands for Illinois Reading Enrichment
and Development and is an annual project of the Illinois Library Association.
The Illinois Library Association provides leadership for the development,
promotion, and improvement of library services in Illinois and for the library
community in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for
all. The goal of this reading program is to instill the enjoyment of reading
and to promote reading as a lifelong pastime. The
benefits of summer reading are clear. National research from Dominican University
finds that students who participate in public library summer reading programs
scored higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school
year than those who did not participate.
Young
people experience learning losses when they don’t engage in educational
activities
during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score
lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the
same tests at the beginning of the summer.
Libraries are part of the
solution. To succeed in school and life,
children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice
essential skills. Summer reading programs remind kids that reading is for fun—as
well as for learning.”
Please
consider stopping by the library a regular part of your summer routine. Encourage your children and grandchildren to
participate in Summer Reading. Read to
your children and have your children read to you. Sing, laugh, play, and talk. Enjoy
these fleeting days of summer!
