Library prepares for summer reading program

By KELLI WRIGHT/KELLI.WRIGHT@DEMOPOLISTIMES.COM

Q: Tell me about this year&8217;s summer reading program.

A: The sign-up date for all three programs (children&8217;s, teen and adult) and kick0off will be June 2.

Q: If people sign-up are they required to come to every event?

A: No. June 2 is just the day we&8217;re going to have everything available so they can come in and sign up.

Q: When does the first program start?

A: The teen program starts June 16 and ends on June 27. We&8217;re going to do theirs separately. They felt like they wanted something a little different than what the children are doing. We&8217;re only going to do it for two weeks and see how it goes. It&8217;s the first time we&8217;ve done that.

Q: What are some of the events for the teen program?

A: We have Ross Tae Kwon Do coming to do an exhibition on June 18. We&8217;re going to have a movie afternoon of Arachnophobia, because our theme is &8220;Catch the Reading Bug.&8221; On June 21 after hours we&8217;re going to do a murder mystery party.

Q: Is there any difference in the focus of the teen program and the program for younger children?

A: The teen program is a little different, its&8217; known as Metamorphosis. We&8217;ll be talking about their change on the inside and outside as they become more mature and head to adulthood.

Q: How important do you think it is to have a separate program for this age group?

A: At this age, they are striving for their independence. They want something that is away from some of the other activities for children, and want something that is more hip. Also with it being their own program, they have more of a say-so in what books to read and what they want us to carry.

Teens are at an age group where they have a lot of other influences and the library can be a really positive thing. And by giving them something that is their own, they&8217;re not having to identify with children or adults.

Q: So how is the children&8217;s program set up?

A: The children&8217;s program is pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. We&8217;re going to be in the park (in the public square) on June 30, we&8217;ll have our sign-up there from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. We&8217;re encouraging people to come down there and just run around, because they like to do that.

Q: What are some of the events?

A: Rick Rakestraw always brings his critters. Doug Wymer, a professor from UWA, is coming on June 9 and bringing his own personal bug collection. The McWane Center will come the next day with their bug collection.

Q: Tell me some about the adult reading program.

We&8217;re asking our adults to sign-up, which begins June 2 and they can sign-up anytime until July 27. We&8217;re asking them to read five books in that time frame. Then we will have prizes at the grand finale.

Theirs is not nearly as involved as the children. It&8217;s just to let them have something where they can do something with their children. In future summers we will probably add other programs.

Librarian Lee Boulie contributed to this report.