Summer Reading News

The results are in! The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) state reps met for the annual meeting in late August and had a chance to cast their state vote based on the two CSLP listening sessions as well as feedback received from library staff via the CSLP theme and slogan survey. A big thank you to all library staff in new York state who took the time to share their thoughts on possible slogan and theme choices!  New York received 406 responses to the slogan survey and 138 responses to the theme survey.  

CSLP has officially announced the voting results for the 2027 slogan and 2028 theme. Votes at the annual meeting determined that 2027’s slogan choice is “Mysteries Await at Your Library” which will complement the overall theme of Mystery/Detective/Suspense. The 2028 theme will be Mythical Creatures (Unicorns, Dragons, Mermaids, etc.). 

Thanks again to all the library staff members who participated in CSLP’s survey and listening sessions to help shape and determine future Summer Reading programs.

Unearth a Story Program Contest

Speaking of future Summer Reading, CSLP is currently running a program submission contest for ideas for 2026 and Unearth A Story!  

The contest will run until September 20, 2024. CSLP is looking for ideas that are filled with all the dinosaurs, archaeology, and paleontology that you can muster!  CSLP Managing Editor, Alyssa Graybeal, will choose one program from each category (children, teens, and adults), and one contributor of early literacy books and songs that best captures the dinosaur theme. Program ideas submitted with photos (that the submitter owns the copyright to or are proven copyright free) have the highest chance of winning.

The winner in each category will get a coupon for $50 worth of merchandise in the CSLP online store. You can purchase some super fun and creative merchandise for 2025's Color Our World theme and there are some awesome new products that will be available when the CSLP store opens in October!

Full contest and submission details can be found on the CSLP website. Be sure to submit your awesome and creative dinosaur-themed ideas before the September 20 deadline for a chance to win the $50 CSLP gift certificate and have your ideas included in the program manual for Unearth A Story!
 

The National Library Service’s online Summer Reading program offerings have wrapped up, but you can still take advantage of an awesome virtual tour! Have you ever visited the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress? If not, a tour of this historic and fascinating building is just a click away.

As part of its 2024 Summer Reading Program, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is offering a free and fully virtual audio tour of the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This tour can serve as an educational experience both for the blind and print disabled as well as those who can’t travel to the Library of Congress. The virtual tour offers in depth audio descriptions of the interior and exterior architecture of the building, as well as plenty of educational and historical facts about the building itself.

Check out the Library of Congress’s website to listen to the virtual tour of the Thomas Jefferson building at the Library of Congress. 
 

Since 1944, Smokey Bear has been a mascot for wildfire prevention and forest conservation around the country. The creation of the mascot was inspired by an orphaned black bear who was rescued from a wildfire, and ever since then, Smokey Bear has been a figure encouraging Americans to be more aware and involved in the tragedies that can come from wildfires. Throughout its history, the U.S. Forest Service has highlighted the importance of spreading the message of wildfire prevention across all age groups. As early as the 1950’s, the U.S. Forest Service used their mascot of Smokey Bear to encourage children to become more involved in the outdoors and adventure through Junior Ranger membership kits and educational outreach like Smokey bear themed school supplies. For more information on the history of Smokey Bear, check out the American Library Association’s Smokey Bear and Fire Suppression article written by Susanne Caro.

Celebrate Smokey Bear’s legacy and 80th birthday by participating in the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge at your local library. The challenge runs from January 1st to November 28th to encourage youth across the country to engage in reading while also learning about forest conservation and wildfire prevention. The Smokey Bear Library Toolkit is a helpful resource that provides libraries with materials to promote a summer of adventure and reading while helping kids and communities to become more informed about protecting our forests and natural resources.

It’s almost time for the Collaborative Summer Library Program/CSLP annual meeting and voting by state reps for the 2027 Slogan and 2028 Theme. Before the meeting takes place at the end of August, CSLP would like feedback from libraries to help narrow down the selection options.

Within the 2027 Theme of Mystery/Detective/Suspense, libraries can vote on their favorites from six possible slogans. Make your voice heard by collecting feedback on slogan and theme preferences from your library community and then fill out the CSLP survey! CSLP has set up a slogan survey for those who wish to provide feedback on the 2027 slogans. Further information on CSLP’s survey for the 2028 themes will be provided soon. The slogan survey is open through August 23.

Another way that CSLP encourages feedback and input on slogans and themes is through CSLP Virtual Feedback Sessions. These sessions allow libraries to have a better understanding of the decision-making process for themes and slogans and provides an opportunity for the library community to share their feedback and opinions.

Please register for one of the two sessions that are being offered on Tuesday, August 13th and Thursday, August 22nd.

CSLP recently partnered with the Library Speakers Consortium to bring exciting author talks to member libraries and their patrons in July!

Author Dan Santat pursued his passion for illustration through his award-winning book, A First Time for Everything, which tells the story of his childhood experiences from his own perspective. Have you ever thought about how your life could turn into a graphic novel?  Dan Santat, a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator is teaming up with CSLP to speak about how children and teens can use graphic novels to tell their own stories, just as he did.

On Tuesday, July 30th, CSLP will be hosting an online event with Dan Santat that will allow participants to learn about his story as an author and illustrator and become inspired by the process of creating graphic novels. To register and learn more about this event, please visit CSLP’s website.

During the summer months, families across New York state are often faced with the challenge of providing nutritious food for children who normally have access to healthy meals through their school. For many years, Hunger Solutions New York has partnered with libraries to help diminish hunger for children by maximizing participation in federally funded nutrition assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

This year, Hunger Solutions NY and the New York State Library have once again come together to promote participation in the Summer Meals program, to help provide access to lunches and snacks for children and teens during the summer. Libraries in eligible areas can take part in the Summer Meals program by hosting summer meal “sites” at their library locations, by providing valuable information for families who need assistance, and by bringing Summer Reading activities to schools and food distribution sites within the community.  

With this year’s introduction of the new Summer EBT benefit, providing nutritious meals to children and families in need has never been easier. Through this program, families can receive a $120 food benefit card for each eligible child during summer break. This EBT food benefit card can be used to purchase food from grocery stores, farmers markets, and other SNAP-authorized retailers. To find out more and to access outreach materials in English and Spanish, please visit the Summer EBT webpage.

Libraries can further assist families by sharing the following tools to find sites near them:

• Text “food” to 304-304
• Use the map on SummerMealsNY.org
• Call 211 or 311 (in NYC) or 1-866-3-HUNGRY

Wishing you all a healthy and adventure filled summer!

Did you know that 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence? CSLP is already planning for the 2026 season, which will have a dinosaur theme and a slogan of Unearth a Story. To help with this planning, CSLP wants feedback from libraries!

The 2026 theme, along with the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, creates many opportunities for patriotic celebrations and history activities and programs at different libraries throughout the United States. CSLP has created a survey to gather information and feedback from public libraries about how they plan to promote and engage with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

If your library plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary in 2026, please complete CSLP’s Semi-quincentennial Survey.

Make sure your library is celebrating Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday this year by encouraging participation in the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge as part of your Summer Reading program! This challenge engages youth in important topics like forestry and outdoor careers, wildfire prevention, and local environments which complement the summer reading theme of Adventure Begins at Your Library.

The Smokey Bear Reading Challenge site provides a variety of resources to engage youth with booklists, downloadable activities and more. Smokey Bear’s Digital Toolkit is a helpful resource that libraries can use to access promotional materials, activities, and incentives, just to name a few. Smokey’s Reading List is a great way to get participants of all ages involved while focusing on adventure and the outdoors.

Libraries using READsquared can also promote the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge and track participation with the challenge through their Summer Reading Portal. Public libraries in New York state can create a free account and customize their own READsquared site. For more information, see the READsquared page on the New York State Library’s Summer Reading website.  

Summer Reading is officially here!  

On June 18th, the Albany Public Library Howe Branch hosted a special Juneteenth-themed story time event to celebrate this important holiday and help kick off Adventure Begins at Your Library and the Summer Reading at New York Libraries Program. Summer Reading programs happen at approximately 1,100 libraries and branches across New York state and promote learning and literacy for students of all ages during the summer months.  

At this event, State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa engaged with an excited audience of pre-K students through Juneteenth-related books and stories, songs, and dancing. Along with story time, Commissioner Rosa and other presenters delivered brief remarks about the importance of the Summer Reading Program and encouraging students to explore and engage over the summer. Summer Reading programs can positively impact literacy and are a wonderful way for public libraries to collaborate with schools and school districts to benefit students in many ways.   

To learn more about how you can engage in the Summer Reading Program, please reach out to your local public library and visit the Summer Reading at New York Libraries Program website. 

Come on a summer adventure with the National Library Service/NLS! The national Summer Reading Program for Talking Book and Braille Library patrons, runs from June 24 to August 9, 2024. The program is a celebration of reading, learning, and fun for all ages. This year, there are three scheduled online events and additional activities that readers can enjoy at their own pace.

If you are not a patron, find out how to apply for NLS service.

To find out more information about NLS Summer Reading’s partnership with the Talking Book and Braille Library, please visit the Great Partners page.

Highlights

The Summer Reading Program hosts story times, an author talk, activities, music, and more! Here's the lineup. (All events will be held online via Zoom, sign up at the NLS website.  Age suggestions are listed for each program, but every program is open to all!)

Virtual events

Kickoff event (all ages): Monday, June 24, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time

NLS Director Jason Broughton will kick off this year’s summer reading program with a warm welcome and Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden will delight young readers with a picture book reading of The Adventures of Marshmallow and Peter (DBC30393) by Peter Heath.

Story time and music by Turtle Dance Music (K-3rd grade): Thursday, July 18, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time

The Turtle Dance Music Man, Matt Mazur, is back! Matt will lead us in singing and dancing and treat our young readers to a reading of Saturday (BR23018, DB98170) by Oge Mora.

Author Talk:  Angeline Boulley with Andrea L. Rogers (YA and Adult): Thursday, July 25, 7:00 p.m. Eastern time

New York Times bestselling author Angeline Boulley will discuss her books Firekeeper’s Daughter (BR24040, DB102762) and Warrior Girl Unearthed (DB114761) in conversation with the moderator, the award-winning author Andrea L. Rogers. The recording of this event will be available for two weeks following the talk.

Online activities

Online activities will also be available for participants including Choose Your Reading Adventure, the Whispering Library Escape Room, and more. Stay tuned!