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Date: 6/22/2022
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY – Whether you’re at the beach, in the mountains or just staying home, chances are you’ll be reading this summer, and local libraries are rewarding you for paging through everything from fact to fiction.
Nearly every library in the commonwealth is offering some type of summer reading program for children, teens and adults. The theme this year is Read Beyond the Beaten Path.
The Edwards Public Library in Southampton welcomes everyone from newborns to senior citizens into its youth summer reading program. Each person will get raffle tickets based on how much time they spend reading by themselves or to someone else. Those tickets will be entered into drawings for prizes awarded throughout the summer.
The program begins on June 27 and runs through Aug. 7. You can sign up at the library or online at www.southamptonlibrary.org. Look for the youth summer reading tab. Youth Librarian Johanna Douglass expects to have more than 200 children and young adults sign up for the program.
“Reading is just like any other skill – if you don’t do it or put it aside for a while, you’re going to come back to it and potentially be behind where you were. It’s about keeping that skill sharp. Just because you get a break from school, you can’t take eight weeks off from reading,” she said.
The library’s adult summer reading program runs the same way as the youth program. There will be a variety of activities and events all summer for both groups. For more information visit the website or call 527-9480.
Emily Williston Memorial Library in Easthampton is also joining in the fun. Their reading program runs from June 27 to Aug. 8. The youth program welcomes children from up to 11 years old. The teen program signs up anyone from 12 to 18 years old.
Anyone joining the youth program may sign up at the library. Sign-ups for the teen program are online at www.ewmlibrary.org.
“It’s a different way to keep their reading from sliding. It keeps them coming into the library. We have all sorts of different programs and events all summer long for them to try,” said Youth and Teen Librarian Moira Cranshaw.
The library also has a summer reading program for adults, run much the same way as the youth program operates. Adults may also sign up for the program on the library’s website.
“We try to make it super simple because there’s a lot going on in the summer – they travel, manage their kids’ schedules and go to their activities,” said Adult Services Coordinator Stephanie Levine. “We want to keep folks engaged with the library all year long. They’re going to read during the summer anyway so why not earn some prizes,” said Levine.
For more information visit the website or call 527-1031.
The Westhampton Public Library has a different twist to its summer reading program that runs from June 25 to Aug. 6. Everyone is invited to join one program that includes readers of all ages.
Participants can choose to be on one of several teams. They earn points for their team based on how much they’ve read. At the end of the program, prizes are awarded to one member chosen randomly from each team. Prizes are also awarded to the top reader on each team and age group — kids, teens and adults.
“It gives them a good sense of competition to read more and get their team ahead,” said the library’s Youth Services Librarian Emily Wayne.
The library also has a program for children too young to read. They earn credits based on time spent being active with outdoor and inside activities like playing games, doing crafts, coloring, drawing or playing outside.
You can sign up for the program by calling or visiting the library, or by emailing Wayne at ewayne@cwmars.org.
“Summer reading builds a love of reading for fun, it’s not for school. It keeps continuity from the school year into the summer. You’re not going to stop learning and stop reading during the summer. It gets kids excited about reading and coming to the library,” she said.
For more information visit www.westhampton-ma.com/westhampton-public-library or call 527-5386.