Crook County Library’s Summer Reading program rocks

Crook County staff can justifiably use a lot of superlatives to describe their annual Summer Reading Program – “fun,” “educational,” “engaging,” “chocolatey,” etc. This year, Crook County Library can add two new words to that list: “award-winning” and “rockin’.”

At Wednesday’s6 County Court meeting, Greta Bergquist, Youth Services Consultant from the State Library of Oregon, presented the Public Services Team with a Ready to Read Award.

Every year, State Library staff select two to three projects funded through the statewide Ready to Read Grant for recognition. Ready to Read grant funds are disbursed to all the public libraries in Oregon annually, and may be used for youth Summer Reading programs or services to children ages 0-6. The library received one of two of this year’s awards in recognition of our successful 2017 Summer Reading Program, in which the Public Services staff tried out several innovative new approaches to programming.

The award was presented exactly one week ahead of the start of the 2018 Summer Reading Program, which will add yet more new and innovative activities to the mix. Called “Libraries Rock!,” this year’s program is a summerlong, all-ages celebration of all things rockin’ – from music to geology to boats in a storm to – and yes, we will toot our own horns here – libraries themselves.

Changes to this year’s program include the introduction of weekly “reading challenges” – activity sheets that challenge Crook County residents to read, attend library programs, and explore their community. These challenges will be published in the Prineville Round-Up every week starting on June 13 and can be turned in at the library for a chance to win fabulous prizes.

In another first, the library will present a week-long limited-run activity program for children in elementary school. You Rock Camp runs July 23 – August 3 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9:00 – 11:30 AM. The camp emphasizes STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities and will feature special guests, including Friend and geologist Carrie Gordon and the High Desert Museum. The camp is free and open to all children in grades K-5, with registration.

Teen participants will also get to enjoy a new program this year. “Robot Rock,” which meets every Thursday from June 21-July 26 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, employs programmable, super cute Finch robots to introduce teens and preteens in grades 6-12 to the realms of coding and robotics.

In addition to being a lot of fun, the Summer Reading Program encourages Crook County residents of all ages to read for pleasure and to use library resources during the summer. For children and teens, a casual, regular reading habit is critical for maintaining and building literacy skills, especially when school is not in session. Kids also benefit from seeing the adults in their lives reading for enjoyment.

Registration for the reading log portion of the program begins at midnight on Wednesday, June 13, with a kickoff and sign-up party on June 16. Registration for the reading log portion of the program continues through Saturday, July 7; Summer Reading events continue through August 7. All events are free of charge.

Located in Prineville, Crook County Library provides traditional and innovative library resources and programming to Crook County residents of all ages. It is an environment where people come together for lifelong learning, enjoyment, and connection. To learn more, visit us at www.crooklib.org.