Summer Reading at New York Libraries

Documenting our personal history allows time for reflection, growth, helps us develop storytelling skills, and brings awareness to our experiences. As we prepare for the 2024 Summer Reading season with the theme of all types of adventure, we organized ideas and activities to help young people tell their personal story and explore things related to the many aspects of adventure. 

Do you have questions about these Summer Reading programs or activities or want to share a programming idea with us? Contact the Youth Services Program Manager. You can also contact the NYS Library about the Personal History Initiative more generally.

The idea for a collaboration involving the NYS Library Personal History Initiative and Summer Reading initially came together in 2020 during a virtual meeting of State Library colleagues who were involved in the development and launch of the Personal History initiative. Now as we prepare for the 2024 Summer Reading season of “Adventure Begins at Your Library!” we continue to recognize the strong connection between young people documenting their personal history during and after the pandemic and beyond. So we want to keep encouraging young adults to use these Summer Reading ideas and activities to tell their personal story and build their own adventures. We welcome you to use the updated project examples available on this page to give you some helpful ideas to support programming, exploration, and creativity during the summer months.

Libraries all over New York State continue to work hard to adapt their Summer Reading and Summer Learning programs to an evolving and challenging environment. Once again, they have come up with many creative solutions and programs and offerings to keep students engaged this summer. Do you have some awesome and creative personal history narrative ideas to share from your library? Please contact the Youth Services Program Manager and we may include them on this page!

Adventure Begins at Your Library

1. Community Walk. Work with your local library to promote a community walk with your neighborhood. Connect with neighbors and discuss things that could promote collaboration in your neighborhood. On your walk, create a list of items that need sprucing up like a little park garden, cleaning litter around the neighborhood or setting up a park event game day. Share the list on the Community Bulletin Board in the library to promote what needs to be worked on around the neighborhood and make it a monthly event!

 

2. Community Collaboration Calendar. At the library, create a summer reading group to research and find community happenings for young people. Share ideas of what to promote and how to connect and continue the happenings for young people throughout the year.

 

3. Adventure Book Club. Create a summer book club at the library. Choose books with the themes of adventure. When you finish reading the book, you can write a simple paragraph or poem, draw a favorite character or an idea based upon the book. Share your creations with the book club and discuss. 

 

4. Recommended Booklist Paragraphs. Choose Summer Reading books which represent adventure. Share why the books are important.  Write a paragraph to explain to other children why they should read the book. Ask your local librarian if you can share the paragraphs in the youth services section of the library and display your recommended reading.

 

5. What is Shelf-Reading? Would you like to volunteer at the library? One good way to do this is by shelf-reading.  Ask your local librarian what shelf-reading is. Ask if you will be able to volunteer to shelf-read a youth section of the library. During the time spent shelf-reading, you will find some interesting books you would definitely enjoy to read.  

 

6. Genre Exploration. What is your favorite genre of reading? Choose a new genre and explore whether you like or dislike it? Share with your local librarian why you like or dislike it. The librarian may recommend other types of books related to the genre or a totally new one.

 

7. Library Day Trip. If you are on vacation within New York State or another area this summer, visit the local library of the area with your relative or friend. Share with your relative, friend, or hometown librarian the similarities or differences of the Youth Services Section you visited. You may wish to suggest a new idea to your local librarian of something new found from the visit.     

          

8. Library Mascot or Logo. Does your library have a mascot or logo? Ask your local Youth Services Librarian if you could create a section of the library with themed books related the library mascot or logo to promote for the summer. You may wish to create posters based upon the mascot and logos to display around the display.

 

9. Library Rap and Poetry Jam. Create a rap or poem based upon the adventures you read or discover from the library. Share the raps and poems with your youth services section for a Library Rap and Poetry Jam day. After the jam, discuss what you found interesting about the jams or poems.

 

10. Library Time Capsule.  Create a time capsule with the theme of Adventure Begins at Your Library.  What will you place in the time capsule?  Will you write paragraphs about why summer reading is important and the types of books you chose to read during the summer?  Where will you place it at the library?  What will the message be to readers in the future when they open the time capsule?

 

11. Library Book Mark Project. Have a library creation station in the Youth Services Section of the library to make bookmarks to keep or share. You may wish to create a cool design to place on the bookmark or share what adventure story you read this summer with a picture pertaining to the book. Bookmarks can be given to patrons at the circulation desk or to take with you.

                           

12. Library Share and Tell. Have a share and tell session at the library. Share and explain why you chose the adventure book. Share a little bit of the story and why you liked or disliked it and would you recommend it or not. Listen to other patron adventure share and tell stories they have read over the summer. You may wish to create a list of future recommendations while you listen to the share and tell.

 

Written by Marisa Gitto, Senior Reference Librarian, Reference Unit

New York State Library

Marisa.Gitto@nysed.gov