Summer Reading Programs at Indian Prairie Attract All Ages

Indian Prairie Public Library's Summer Reading Program continues to succeed this year, as children, teens and adults participate in their respective programs.

The program, which started on May 16 and ends August 2, has more than 1,400 participants registered for the children's program and 350 registered for the teens, according to Monica Dzierzbicki, head of youth services. Registration is up from last year. To date, the children have totaled more than 6,600 hours of reading and the teens have read more than 1,300 books.

For all of these hours spent reading, the participants can receive prizes in return. Every five hours of reading by the children or three books by the teens earns rewards such as coupons to local businesses, free bowling games and, for those who read the most, iPod nanos, iTunes gift cards, or even box sets of the Harry Potter series.

Still, summer reading is not just about counting the hours and reaping the rewards.

"They're learning new vocabulary," Dzierzbicki said. "They're sharing a new experience, which is something that they're interested in because we aren't asking them to read something specific, it's something of their own choosing."

More importantly, this freedom to choose what books to read and to continue reading all throughout summer is beneficial when school reopens in the fall.

"It's a bridging between one grade to the next grade so over the summertime, a student won't lose the educational value they gained over the school year," Dzierzbicki said.

Since beginning its summer reading program decades ago, the Indian Prairie Public Library has steadily increased its number of registrants and also moved the logging of hours and books online, allowing people to choose their own pace for reading. Plus, the library offers audiobooks and e-books,which participants can use to experience books in a different way.

Children and teens aren't the only ones benefitting from their summer reading programs; adults can take advantage of it as well. According to Head of Adult Services Debra Wordinger, about 300 participants signed up for the adult summer reading program.

Although the youth use the summer reading program to bridge the gap between school years, adults take advantage of it to not only have the chance to win prizes, including gift certificates to local restaurants and bookstores, but mainly because they now have the time to read.

"I think traditionally in the summer, people take vacations and have the time," Wordinger said. "People can do a little bit more of what they enjoy doing instead of what they have to do."

All three programs revolve around the theme of travel, with "One World, Many Stories" for children, "You Are Here" for teens and "Novel Destinations" for adults. With all three summer reading programs, participating families are encouraged to interact by exploring new ideas and sharing stories.

"As a family, there's nothing better than being able to spend a few minutes together actually having an experience talking through something, reading something funny or something that's adventurous or something you didn't know before," Dzierzbicki said. "Having common experiences as a family is very important, especially when our time is being torn in so many ways."

For the library, the summer reading program grows year after year, introducing new readers and new participants to the world of reading and bringing the community together.

"Anytime that we can bring somebody in, either in person or virtually, to experience reading and discover for themselves that they can find something that they click with, it makes a big difference," Dzierzbicki said.