Updated 6/3/20
The Giles County Public Library has kicked off their 2020 Summer reading program for local families.
Program Coordinator DeAnne Parker, Children’s Librarian Susan Hickman and Teen Services Librarian Elizabeth Roller visited WKSR Bonus Hour today (Wednesday) to explain activities that are planned this summer.
This year theme is “Imagine Your Story,” which is centered around all kinds of stories, including tall tales, folk tales, personal family stories, global fables and fractured fairy-tales.
Parker said this year the library is utilizing for the first time an online program called READsquared to manage the participants’ reading logs.
“READsquared is a program designed to encourage lifelong reading habits, and we hope everyone will take advantage of it,” Parker said.
Every family member is encouraged to participate. Pre-readers (ages 0 to 4), young readers (ages 5 thru 12), teens and adults can all register.
Through READsquareders will receive age appropriate book recommendations and activities from their local librarians. Users log books read or minutes read to accumulate points towards the overall summer reading goal.
Children can personalize their accounts with an avatar and can view their accomplishments throughout the summer, giving them a visual incentive to continue reading.
“We want to make sure that children maintain their reading skills over the summer break, and not succumb to the famous summer slide,” Parker said.
Roller added they are trying to make it easier on parents and families to do things together and get some enjoyment in this tough time.
Hickman will be decorating the library’s front windows each week with a “Weekly Window Wonder” that includes a coordinating activity such as guessing games and riddles.
Roller said they will continue to offer the online activities for the teens that have been successful during this quarantine, as well as online pop-up activities as the summer goes on.