Julie Cannavino
For the News-Leader
Summer reading time is almost here. The theme for this year’s summer reading program is “All Together Now.” This theme is being used by many libraries across Florida and across the country. The hope is that the title “All Together Now” will cause people to think about the commonalities between them instead of what divides them.
Nassau County Public Library’s summer reading program is open to people of all ages. We will be offering reading challenges and prizes for all readers. In order to keep track of participants’ progress, we will be encouraging you to use Beanstack, our reading tracking app and website. Beanstack will allow you to sign up for the reading challenge and keep track of your reading progress.
Our reading challenges are broken up by age level. The reading challenge for our pre-school and elementary readers will encourage them to read 60 minutes a week over a seven-week period. They will earn a digital badge after each hour read for the first seven hours that will enable them to come to the library to redeem for a prize.
Our middle school and high school readers challenges are set up differently. Instead of tracking minutes, they will be challenged to read five books over the seven-week period. After reading the five books, they will come into the library for a prize and be entered into a drawing to win a pair of Beats wireless earbuds.
We did not leave out our adult readers. The reading challenge for adult readers is set up similarly to our teen challenge, with adults being challenged to read four books over the seven weeks. Upon completion, adults can come to the library for a prize and will be entered into a drawing for a four-pack of tickets to either the Jacksonville Zoo or Amelia Island Escape Rooms.
Our hope is that for all reading levels, this summer reading program will not only encourage people to read but to find the joy that comes from reading. We believe that using the Beanstack app will be a powerful addition to our reading program. The app not only tracks your reading but also will allow you to complete book reviews for others to read. As we get increased reviews entered into the system, this will be a powerful selection tool for fellow readers.
The registration for summer reading opened this week. You can visit nassaureads.com to find the link for the summer reading program as well as the link for Beanstack. If you need help getting your Beanstack app set up, you can visit any of our five branches for assistance. After registering, all age levels can stop into the library to pick up their summer reading bag. The summer reading program challenge itself will commence on June 5 and run through July 21. If you have participated in the past, we hope you will do so again. If you have not tried our summer reading program, we hope this is the year that you will join in.
We would like to thank our Friends of the Library groups for their support of our summer reading program as well as the Jacksonville Zoo and Amelia Island Escape Rooms for their generous donations. We are still accepting donations for the program, so if you have something you would like to contribute, please let me know.
We hope that our community will be “All Together Now” this summer.
