Community Corner
Beth Bales: Joust Keep Reading! Library's Youth Reading Program Has Monday Deadline
The youth summer reading program at the Geneva Public Library ends Monday, and while that's also the day for adults and teens to turn in logs for the Grand Prize Drawing, it's not the end of premiums.
This weekend might be the time to eye that stack of library books and polish off one or two.
Why? Monday, Aug. 8, is the final day for the 's Youth Summer Reading Program and the final day to receive coupons for the Adult/Teen Summer Reading Program. The coupons—received every time a participant logs in a completed book or books—are placed in a box for weekly drawings of prizes.
The weekly drawings (separate ones for teens and adults) finished on Friday, but the Grand Prize drawing will be Tuesday, Aug. 9.
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Monday marks the complete end for the youth program.
However, adults and teens should keep reading! The drawings are done, but the premiums are not. Adult and teen participants may continue to earn points for premiums through the end of the month, while supplies of those premiums last.
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
One of the premiums is a ticket worth $5 off any fines you may have. Personally, as I managed to incur some larger fines earlier this summer, I have to keep reading until I get my “get out of the (fine) dungeon” card.
This summer, 1,836 children participated in the program.
And a total of 364 adults and 293 teens participated in the teen/adult program, while 40 staff members participated in a parallel program. That’s down somewhat from last year, said Debbie Walsh, head of Adult and Reader Services. She considers the program a big success nonetheless. “Absolutely,” she said. “When we compare our numbers to any other library that does an adult program, we win hands down. We have such a community of readers here. People expect the program and look forward to it.”
Patrons frequently come in wearing their T-shirt prizes from previous years, she said. “We love it.”
She urged adults and teens to keep participating. “Some people are surprised, several weeks later, to find out that they could have kept on going and didn’t,” she said.
While I’ve never once won one of the drawings, assuming I a) finish the book I’m reading–and I’m nearly done!– and b) get to the library to log in and fill out my entry sheet, I still have one more chance.
And so does every other participant. Get reading!
