Help Spread the Word About Libraries and the Summer Slide

Although librarians know about the summer slide, not many parents are aware that kids can lose valuable educational gains if they don’t read over the summer.

That’s why the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is pushing the importance of museums and libraries over the coming months—a time when an average student who doesn't read or engage in other learning opportunities can lose as much as 2.5 months of learning over the summer.

"We encourage families to participate in the low- and no-cost museum and library programs that are available in virtually every state," says Anne-Imelda M. Radice, director of IMLS.

Now is not the time to be shy. Promote the fact that a host of libraries nationwide will offer wonderful reading programs, arts and craft making, games, family nights, contests, and prizes, as well as visits by authors, story tellers, scientists, and educational entertainers.

At many libraries, the theme for this year's National Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) reading program is Catch the Reading Bug. For teens, the theme is Metamorphosis. CSLP is a grassroots consortium of 46 state agencies and associations working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public, private, and school libraries, and it is  mostly funded by IMLS grants through the Library Services and Technology Act.

Get inspired by the customized summer reading themes at libraries across the country. The Colorado State Library, for example, is partnering with the non-profit Butterfly Pavilion on an activity page that may be used as an admission "ticket" to the Butterfly Pavilion in August and September. Other states have followed suit: New York has translated Six Easy Ways to Get Your Kids to Read this Summer into Spanish, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Korean, Urdu, Arabic, Bengali, and Russian. In Wisconsin, Pam Carlson created a Summer Reading Game called "Who Will Be the Next Etymologist," in which young library patrons complete a series of educational bug-related tasks. And the Virginia state library posted the public service cartoon promoting summer reading in English and Spanish on Youtube.com. 

"By taking their kids to libraries and museums, parents can minimize the effects of summer vacation on learning," Radice says. "Libraries and museums are also a great place to meet new friends and build social networks in person and online. It's fun for everyone."