Children and teens are invited to exercise their minds during the 2016 summer reading programs to be held throughout the Mercer County Library System. These free incentive programs are offered to motivate children and teens to read for pleasure and to help them maintain their reading skills during the summer months. Registration begins Monday, June 20, and the programs run through Friday, Aug. 5.
2016 themes are “On Your Mark, Get Set … Read!” for children and “Get in the Game: Read!” for teens, and will explore fitness, exercise and the mind. Youth may participate by reading books and attending free library programs and cultural enrichment activities. The goal is to foster self-confidence and create lifelong readers among youth and their families. Throughout summer 2015, children and teens reported reading 66,800 books.
“Research has shown that children who join the summer reading program at their public library keep their minds active and enter school in the fall ready to learn and ready to succeed,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes. “Families can make reading and learning a regular part of summer by joining others in the community for lots of good books and special free programs at branches of the Mercer County Library System.”
Mercer County Library System’s annual Summer Reading Program brings more than 22,000 patrons into its nine branches for reading-related activities. Branch locations are located in member municipalities as follows: Ewing, Hickory Corner (East Windsor), Hightstown, Hollowbrook Community Center (Ewing), Hopewell, Lawrence, Robbinsville, Twin Rivers and West Windsor.
Free, special registration events will launch the six-week program. Interactive entertainment will include magicians, science presentations, musical concerts, fitness and wellness workshops, juggling and acrobatics shows, craft and hobby instruction, marionette and theater shows, live animals, party entertainment and contests. Certain programs require pre-registration with a valid MCLS library card.
Children are encouraged to visit their local branch to receive a printed reading log and weekly prizes will be awarded to encourage participation. Teen volunteers will assist in the registration process and children’s librarians can make reading recommendations.
The online teen program “Get in the Game: Read!” is for ages 12-18 years. Teens can register on the library’s website, where they may keep track of their books as they finish reading them. Teen-friendly activities, contests and prizes will also take place. Check local branch publicity for specifics and registration details.
Programs are free and open to children of all abilities. They are funded locally by the Friends of the Library, advisory committee or library association in each community, as well as through prize donations by local businesses and organizations. The New Jersey Summer Reading Program is coordinated by the New Jersey Statewide Summer Reading Committee through the New Jersey Library Association, with funding from the New Jersey State Library.
Events are scheduled to meet the demand of individual families. Groups located within a member municipality should contact their local branch to find out if there are summer programs appropriate for them, or during which months of the year groups can generally be accommodated through special outreach.
Visit the library’s website in early June for a complete listing of programs and events: http://www.mcl.org/ys/srpindex.html. Printed calendars and registration details will also be available at each branch in early June.
