Yes, LM does provide membership to CSLP, thanks to support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to ALL public libraries across Michigan. Manual codes were emailed to directors in October, but you can request access here. So many great resources and programming ideas! The Summer Symposium is coming up soon with great ideas and presentations around the 2026 Unearth A Story(tm) theme, with Dan Santat as the featured Keynote.

When it comes to a revamp to your summer library program, I highly encourage you and your team to take a step back and examine your "why" and ask, how does your library center community? CSLP has partnered with Building Community-Based Summers and has a full Community-Based Summers Guide online. Take the time to go through this process with your team - I am happy to come visit and discuss this further, too. We have offered some virtual cohorts, including National and Tri-state cohorts currently happening. Look for another cohort opportunity invitation from me coming this winter!

As always, feel free to reach out to me directly.

Thanks,

Cathy Lancaster

Youth Services Coordinator

Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48915
My Pronouns: She/Her/Hers - See www.mypronouns.org to learn more.

LancasterC5@michigan.gov | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan
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Just in case you don't have this as a resource, I invite you to check out the Collaborative Summer Reading Program because they generally compile all kinds of program ideas, along with instructions on how to run it, into a big program booklet, which includes all of this for each age group. It does require a cost but I think because the Library of Michigan participates in it too (I could be wrong here but I usually see Cathy Lancaster post resources from CSLP) I think there may be a deal for libraries? I actually don't handle this part of SRP - Please check with Cathy!

Youth: our youth department does an incredible job of offering tiered prizes and we have a gumball machine that distributes colored sheets of paper so that winners get a random color. The colors are associated with one of the tiered prize offerings and these vary in size, quality and scope. The lower tier is often little gadgets and fun printed games. The next tier are things like bubble wands, little lego sets, and some other things I cannot remember! and the top tier are large items, like big board games, larger lego sets, hot-ticket items that kids absolutely want and love (and kind of saves their parents from having to get them).

- Do a press release and email everyone in your area (Chamber, DDA if you have one, Municipality, Non-profit orgs, Schools, Community Center, Parks and Recreation, Partners businesses in the Chamber, any local historical groups or genealogy societies, Rotary if your service area has one, any big clubs, any place that families frequent regularly, Movie Theaters (good time to ask for donations or sponsorship), Parks, etc...