A quick note as I forward this here, as a public “Thank You!” to Karen Day at CSLP as she retires – she has shared years of knowledge, friendly help, and fielded thousands of questions from Michigan libraries while at CSLP.  She will be missed!

~ Cathy

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Still need a few more ideas or printable activities? Additional resources here.

Changes at CSLP

After many years of service, Karen Day is stepping down from the position of Office Administrator, and starting the next chapter of her life. Karen has been with CSLP from nearly the beginning and has seen many wonderful summer programs come and go.

We wish Karen the best as she starts her next adventure!

How is your library "Reimagining" summer? Please send your photos, ideas, and any informative details to Luke Kralik at: luke.kralik@cslpreads.org I would love to share them in our newsletter.

Looking for some ideas to use or share? https://www.pinterest.com/cslpreads/

Increasingly, public libraries are feeding hungry bodies as well as hungry minds during the summer – and throughout the year. The CSLP’s Child and Community Well-Being committee is developing resources to support and encourage library participation in the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program and other initiatives to help kids and teens stay nourished, active, and healthy when school is out. These resources include the Libraries and Summer Food page on the CSLP website; a Facebook group for news, support, and resource-sharing; and an ongoing series of stories showcasing the experiences of libraries around the country.

Supporting Food Literacy When You Can’t Gather: Read Eat Grow Gets Creative

By Rebecca Antill, Youth Services Consultant, South Carolina State Library

For several years, the South Carolina State Library has been supporting a statewide Food Literacy initiative that we titled “Read Eat Grow.” This initiative supports libraries in offering a variety of programs that help patrons learn the story of their food. We have assisted our public libraries with programs about gardening, composting, cookbook clubs, cooking demonstrations, healthy living, health literacy, nutrition, and so much more! Of course, most of these all happen in person, so when the COVID-19 pandemic closed both the State Library and our public libraries, we knew we had to think outside the box.


Lyndsey Maloney, Horry County Memorial Library, with a beautiful pan of Peach Cobbler

The Charleston County Public Library, which has a strong ongoing partnership with the Lowcountry Food Bank to promote healthy cooking in low-income communities throughout the county, began filming short, kid-friendly cooking demonstrations to share on their Facebook page. These videos feature Devon Andrews and her family mixing up easy recipes together at home. Devon also shares science demonstrations and shows that families can replicate the learning opportunities at low cost, though not necessarily low mess!


Lyndsey Maloney from the Horry County Memorial Library system created recipe demonstrations featuring recipes from the digital collection found at the State Library’s website: https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/ These recipes are copyright-free and, as Lyndsey’s reveals, oh so tasty. Rebecca Antill, the Youth Services Consultant at the State Library, and Ellen Dunn, Public Information Coordinator, also filmed themselves at home cooking quick healthy recipes for library staff to prepare. At the Lexington County Public Library, staff have been assisting at school lunch sites, passing out free books while observing the proper safety protocols and social distancing. Another public library will be offering take home recipe ideas paired with a Facebook live demonstration from library staff throughout the summer. We are excited to see what other creative ways our libraries will find to encourage healthy living and promote food security to their communities in the upcoming months!

Designing a Program with All Families in Mind

by Susan Locander, Youth Services Manager, North Riverside Public Library

Library summer reading programs are beloved community traditions that promote literacy and encourage creative expression.  Yet, they can seem unwelcoming and inaccessible to some families.  Incorporating flexibility and choice into both your program design and rollout can be key to creating a program that will work for all.

• Registering for a summer reading program by completing a traditional registration form may be problematic or seem intrusive.  Before registration opens, determine what information is essential and what’s not, and let those decisions determine the registration data you request.  (To get a sense of the wide variety of families your readers could belong to, visit the CSLP Inclusion Resources on Alternative Families:  https://www.cslpreads.org/inclusion-resources/alternative-families )  Allowing families to provide the information that best fits their unique situation may increase their feeling of acceptance, and reduce stress all around.
• Regular logging of books read or time spent reading is often challenging for families, particularly when the readers are too young to take on this responsibility.  Just keeping track of paper logs can be difficult, and even more so for readers living in multiple locations, and/or with multiple parents, grandparents or guardians during the program.  Allowing readers to create their own reading goals and being flexible with reporting deadlines and methods – online, phone, email, paper (“official” log or other) -- can help them get the most benefit from your program.
• No matter how well you prepare, unanticipated and challenging situations will arise.  Many libraries will be offering all or mostly online summer reading programs this year, yet the goals remain the same:  to promote literacy and encourage creative expression while building community.  As we work to meet this year’s unique challenges, designing your program to include all types of families will help you not only expand, but also strengthen your community.

What is on the horizon for CSLP?

2020: Theme/Fairytales, Mythology, Fantasy; Slogan/”Imagine Your Story” Artist/LeUyen Pham

2021: Theme/Animals; Slogan/”Tails and Tales” Artist/Salina Yoon

2022: Theme/Oceanography; Slogan/TBD Artist/Sophie Blackall

2023: Theme/TBD; Slogan/"All Together Now"; Artist/Frank Morrison

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