Celebrating Summer Reading: A Visual Guide

Whether you prefer the hashtag #SRC or #SRP, children’s librarians across the world have been sweating over how to make reading over the summer fun for everyone. We wanted to throw together a quick post to show off some of the awesome we’re surrounded by and to say a huge congratulations to everyone for all the hard work! Our summer was full of Funny Business like An Afternoon of Disguise, Battle of the Funny Books and Silly Songs Dance Party and we’ve been reading all about the Fizzing, Booming and Reading going on from our neighbours down south.

During a presentation at ALA Annual in Vegas called What No Tchotskes? Creating an Experience Based Summer Program I was captured by Amber Creger’s images of ways in which she helped make the reading her young patrons did VISIBLE! As Arlington Heights Memorial Library (where Amber runs the Kids’ World!) moves away from incentive based Summer Reading, these hands-on displays celebrate reading or challenges completed and contribute to the larger community of library users. Check out the old school Reading Brick Road she shared too!

We work with an awesome librarian up here in Vancouver who goes by the name of Alicia but we swear she sports a cape when we’re not looking. She put together a Very Hungry Caterpillar who has grown and grown as the readers at her branch have, well, read and read!

A couple dear Tweeps shared ways in which they make the visible the number of readers they have at their branch. Below are Lisa’s gorgeous Fizz, Boom, Read dicuts and in Nova Scotia readers are fishes or beautiful stones in the garden at the Kingston Branch. Thanks Angela for sharing!

Another genius idea comes from Abby the Librarian who created this amazing display to show off what the children librarians are reading.  Yes, we are part of summer reading too! What a perfect way to provide reader’s advisory and to let kids know that we’re on board with them.

Want to get the competitive spirit going in your neighbourhood?  The West Vancouver Memorial Library puts up a great display each year showing the percentage of kids from each school signed up for summer reading. And the school with the highest percentage gets this awesome trophy!  When we worked at West Van we remember the kids coming in to check and see how their school was doing – it’s a great way to get kids to encourage other kids to join.

And finally because she kicks some serious ass Angie would like to send you, YES YOU a thank you card for all your hard Summer Reading work! Don’t believe us, check out this link and swoon over all these tweets. Seriously we thank our lucky stars everyday for the amazing we are surrounded by. Do you have any awesome ways of showing off the reading done in your community or ways to celebrate? Drop us a line below, we’d love to hear from you!