The Durango Public Library launched its annual summer reading program, which incentivizes readers young and old to pick up a book in exchange for prizes, on Monday.
The program runs through Aug. 15, and this year’s theme is all things dinosaurs.
For children 17 and younger, a dinosaur-themed prize is offered for every five hours of reading – or being read to – up to 30 hours.
At 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 hours, young participants earn entries for the end of summer grand prize drawings.
Participants 18 and older track number of books read, rather than hours, and can enter weekly drawings for prize baskets filled with local goodies.
Participants are also awarded online badges as they reach milestones through the website where progress is tracked, called Beanstack.
Children can also track their reading hours by coloring in progress markers on a dinosaur-themed coloring sheet.
Jenny Gaechter, youth services manager at the library, said the children’s version of the program is meant to prevent the “summer slide” – the phenomenon of children losing academic progress while away from school and having to build their knowledge base back up when they return to the classroom in the fall.
‘For adults, it’s fun, it’s nostalgic, and it’s great modeling for the kiddos,“ she said. ”But for kids, what we’re really trying to do is create habits – We’re trying to create excitement around reading.“
A prominent initiative in the program is getting children to read throughout the whole summer and not fall off after the first month, Gaechter said.
“One of the main pushes that we’ve tried to do is sustained engagement,” she said. “So 5, 10, 15 and 20 (hour prizes) can all be picked up in June, but you have to wait until July to get 25 or 30 (hour prizes), because we’re trying to create that habit of reading throughout the summer.”
Reading in all formats – including ebooks and audiobooks – count toward hours in the program, Gaechter said.
“Whether a child is reading a print book, listening to an audiobook or exploring an ebook, they are building knowledge, vocabulary, imagination and empathy,” she said.
Jolene Martin, a 6½-year-old student at Needham Elementary School, enrolled in the summer reading program Monday for the second year in a row.
Her parents read to her last year as she began to develop her reading skills to reach her progress goals – something the program welcomes, Gaechter said.
“I like the pretty pictures and I like to spell out words,” Jolene said of why she loves to read.
When asked how many books she thinks she’ll read this summer, she first responded with a modest “three” – but upped her prediction to 30 after a bit more reflection.
“She’s at that stage right on the edge of reading,” Jolene’s father, Nick Martin, said.
He said an incentive or game – such as coloring in her progress chart – encourages Jolene with prizes for every five hours of reading.
“Anything we can do to encourage her,” he said.
The dinosaur theme for this year’s summer reading program was inspired by local paleontologist John Hankla.
Hankla donated one of many faux dinosaur fossil sculptures in his collection to the library to act as the dinosaur-themed summer reading program’s mascot.
The towering Tarbosaurus kept watch over patrons on the first floor of the building as they signed up for the program Monday.
“(Hankla) has a collection of dinosaurs, so it just kind of came up in conversation: ‘Oh, dinosaurs, let’s (do) Dig into Reading (for) our summer reading program this year,’” Gaechter said. “And he’s like, ‘Oh, I’ve got a dinosaur for you,’ and I said, ‘How big is it?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s big.’”
Hankla also plans to give a paleontology talk at the library in July, Gaechter said.
For more information
Participants of all ages can sign up for the Durango Public Library’s summer reading program at any point before Aug. 15 by visiting durango.beanstack.org/reader365
Gaechter has seen firsthand how the program has benefited participants – especially children.
“Somebody came back from the school district (in a past year) and said, ‘Our test scores, coming back to school, they’re actually better than normal,’” she said. “And I like to think we had something to do with that.”
Summer reading is about more than logging hours or earning prizes, Gaechter said. It’s about fostering positive reading habits in children, connecting families with library resources and creating opportunities for community connection.
“My main focus is just getting people to love reading,” she said. “... I really just want to create that love of the library, and love of stories and love of community.”
epond@durangoherald.com
