Summer Reading Destination

School's out, but summer vacation can get old fast without classmates and planned activities. Make plans for the lazy, crazy days of summer. Walk or ride to the library.  


Make it a destination to:

explore
meet friends
volunteer
start a book club
attend a program

Challenge students to find a favorite reading spot, browse through the magazines and find ones that cover your hobbies or interests.

Invite students and parents to get to know the reference librarians and ask for book and website recommendations. 

Is there a summer reading program? Participate!

• "Dig into Reading" by Collabortive Summer Library Program
• "Reading is SO Delicious" by iREAD

Is there a FRIENDS of the Library group, and if so, are they planning a book sale or fundraiser? Join! Become a library advocate.

Teen Literature Recommendations and Trends by Michael Cart

Summer vacation allows for time to catch up on all sorts of things you've put aside until later.  For example, over the school year many great-sounding webinars are announced and promoted.  Several are added to lists and calendars "not to be missed!" yet the date passes.  Luckily, webcasts are often archived and are ideal for later viewing.  

Infopeople offered a free webcast on April 26, 2012 by young adult literature expert Michael Cart, "Teen Literature Update 2012." My original goal was to listen and make a list of books to buy and read this summer, before sharing. Michael's 1-hour presentation is wonderful for his intended audience, Teacher/Young Adult/Teen librarians. However, the webcast should be of interest to middle and high school literature classes, book clubs, and serious readers. Too bad most school class periods are less than one hour. Teachers and librarians could add this link to their library or book club website and encourage comments on the webcast.


How else would you use Michael's YA book recommendations?  Would you recommend the webcast to parent groups or company employees and suggest adopting a local library or libraries in a school district? That would be a visible way to support students in the face of endless library budget and staffing cuts.

Flowchart: Which Books to Read this Summer?

Teaching students at the University of California School of Education developed this great infographic to help younger students pick books to read over the summer, an important time when young people have the freedom to read what they want to read rather than required coursework.  This chart appeared on the "Teach: Make a Difference" blog on June 5, 2012.  A chart like this would be a fun and challenging project for a team of teams or a book club.

Via Teach.com and USC Rossier Online

Baldo Comic: Good-bye for the Summer

This is such a sweet, sad sentiment.  There certainly will be a good number of children who will miss visiting their school library over the summer.  Each morning at my local Middle School, about 40 students arrive between 7:30am and 8am, before school starts.  Several quietly find books, others catch up with friends, some head straight to the set of textbooks so they can finish homework.  And, a small number of girls ask how they can help -- shelve books, put labels on books, move chairs and tables.  All enjoy being asked "what's new" or being invited to share special news such as upcoming birthdays. The school library is a warm, safe and welcoming place to start the day.  I can see how many young children -- and me too -- will miss the morning library time.

"Early bird" library visitors are students who are dropped off early by busy parents who want their children to be in a safe place while the parents are off working. Wish summer schools offered morning library time!

Thanks, TL Tom Kahn for alerting me to the Baldo Cartoon at http://www.gocomics.com/baldo/

Library Yard Signs for Top Readers

A Parish in Louisiana has the right idea -- yard signs for top readers! Kudos to the individual or team that came up with this outstanding idea and followed through on it. As a part of its summer reading program, Calcasieu Parish Public Library gives a certificate and a yard sign to youth who successfully complete ten books or have 10 books read to them by July 17. The sign declares: "A library champion lives here".

Yes, there is a web 2.0 connection here too: Parents can e-mail a digital picture of their reader with their yard sign; the pictures will then be posted on the library’s Web site, www.calcasieu.lib.la.us.

StickK.com as a fundraiser for libraries?

Wonder if the "stickK.com" method could benefit library fundraising?

This morning, while driving into San Francisco, National Public Radio carried a news story about a way to facilitate personal commitment contracts for weight loss and other types of personal goals (like smoking.) If you don't live up to your end of the contract, StickK will give your money to charity or a person you designate.

How could this be used for library fundraising or awareness? Let's see. My city and many cities are focusing on fitness, reducing youth obesity, and such. A city could challenge its residents to sign up for stickK.com, set a personal goal, and dedicate an amount of money to the library (or specific library programs.) It sounds like a great summer challenge -- goal to read XBooks, loose XPounds, stop smoking, whatever! Check it out! This might be a good research project for all schools in a district to try over a school year. Apparently, people don't like to loose and that tendency can be used to drive behavior change.

I'd like to hear about some success stories (related to libraries and reading, of course!)

Library Avatar Slide Show!

Redwood High School Library Media Teacher Tom K introduced me to this fun slideshow maker. I immediately created a slideshow of a bunch of California school librarian avatars. It would be just as easy to create a virtual library tour, slideshow of Celebrity READ posters, promotion of summer reading program or banned books -- check it out!

Summer Reading Programs - Get A Clue!

The California State Library, through a partnership with the California Library Association, is a state member of the Collaborative Summer Library Program. Promotion of the Summer 2007 program uses a variety of network applications including audio and video Public Service Announcements that public libraries can promote via their websites as well as through local media. The kids program is “Get A Clue,” while the Teens program theme is "http://www.summerreading.cla-net.org/resourcesya2007.html." New this year is an adult theme, “Summer Sleuthing at Your Library.”