Transforming Summer Programs at Your Library: Outreach and Outcomes in Action

Changes in public libraries, the communities they serve, children’s lives, and educational research all demonstrate that traditional summer reading programs need to be reimagined. Working groups of librarians, in partnership with the California Library Association and the California State Library, have done just that, creating and implementing outcomes- and outreach-based summer reading programs that speak directly to diverse and changing communities. Drawing on case studies from several different libraries, this book shows how other libraries can transform their own summer programs. Offering a vision of change in action, the authors begin with an historical overview of summer programming in public libraries and a review of the research and conditions that have prompted recent changes in summer programs; discuss the principles, strategies, and evaluation framework that California librarians have created to transform their institutions; review a statewide campaign, Summer Matters, that is working to provide equitable summer learning opportunities for all children in California; and take an in-depth look at Lunch at the Library, a public library summer meal project, which brings underserved families to the library while providing learning opportunities for children, volunteer opportunities for teens, and resources for adults. Public library staff and educators will feel inspired and empowered by the positive examples put forth in this book.