1. Building a Nation of Readers: Multiple Experiences of Public Library Summer Reading Programs Joanne de Groot, PhD Email: degroot@ualberta.ca

2. Why SRPs? Personal experiences Professional experiences

3. Purpose To investigate children’s experiences with public library summer reading programs. The primary research question was “how do children, their parents, and library staff experience their public library summer reading program?”

4. Related Research Questions Relevant subquestions were: –How do children, their parents, and library staff describe the role of incentives on children’s reading choices and their motivations for reading? –What are children reading and how do they describe their recreational reading practices during the summer? –How do children and their parents describe their summer reading compared to their reading habits and interests during the school year? –What roles do parents and library staff play in helping children select reading material and sustain interest in the program? –How do these adults support the social aspects of children’s reading?

5. Methodology 3 different SRPs in 3 public libraries in Alberta Qualitative Case Study approach –Each library was a unique case –Key informants: children, their parents, and library staff members in each library –Data collection included: formal and informal interviews with library staff members and participating children; artifacts created by children (especially drawings and artwork); reading journals; direct observation of children engaging in program activities (e.g. reading games, storytimes, other programs)

6. Theoretical Framework Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory Rosenblatt’s Transactional Reading Theory

7. Literature Review Little research done specifically on summer reading programs and children’s experiences with them (little research on children’s services in public libraries all together) –The existing literature suggests that public library SRPs are beneficial because children who read for pleasure during the summer tend to retain or improve their reading abilities (Carter, 1988; Heyns, 1978; Howes, 1986) Many more studies explore the so-called summer reading gap and school-based summer reading programs (Cooper, Nye, Charlton, Lindsay, & Greathouse, 1996; Entwisle, Alexander, & Olson, Fall, 2001; Kim, 2004; Luftig, 2003; McGill-Franzen & Allington, 2003; Shin & Krashen, 2007)

8. Findings 3 main categories of findings: Books & Reading; Libraries; and Summer Reading Program Children’s perspectives primarily informed the findings, but interviews with library staff and parental input and observations were critical in developing these case studies

9. Findings: Programs SRPS should provide children with opportunities to spend time with their peers, engage with activities related to books and reading, talk about their reading in an environment that is inclusive, welcoming, and friendly programs (& by extension libraries and the national program organizers) need to ensure they are responsive to the needs of children & families –materials and prizes need to be more appropriate for older children –flexible programming, fewer scheduled events, multiage programs, etc. –weekend and evening events –outreach into the community –what counts as reading for the purposes of the prizes and how to spread that message

10. Findings: Programs -role of the national program and the importance of participating in something bigger than a local program needs to be emphasized (e.g. bilingual activity books) -fluctuating attendance -measuring successful programs needs to include both qualitative and quantitative measures  not just about numbers but also children’s experiences

11. Findings: Relationships between Children & Reading -building relationships between library staff members and children who are participating in SRPs –social interaction between children and adults, as well as culturally rich environments in which to learn and explore are critical –who did the children in this study talk to about books and reading? parents, sometimes teachers, one librarian mentioned but mostly for recommendations not a lot of peer talk

12. Findings: Relationships between Children & Reading reading was seen as a solitary activity with limited, or no, discussion or talk with others (adults or peers) –BUT from the interview data in each case, it became clear that ALL the children in this study wanted to talk about their reading experiences and the books they had read Reading Engagement is critical but none of the children in this study described SRP activities that gave them the opportunity to engage with books and reading or talk to their peers about their reading interests

13. Findings: Relationships between Children & Reading Reading Game & Incentives -avid readers + good readers liked the games and prizes but would have read anyway and were not motivated to read by the game/prizes -avid reader + struggling reader did not play the game or care about the prizes (but she LOVED to talk about her reading and the books she had enjoyed) -non-reader only read because of the prizes throughout the game

14. Findings: Building Communities of Readers online environments (blogs, wikis, etc.) promote a wide range of texts and media as reading encourage talk between children and adults and between children traditional storytime-type programs alone do not work for this purpose

15. Findings: Rhetoric of SRPs turning children into readers” (Fiore, 2005, p. 26) SRP participants were already readers but they saw reading as important because “it builds vocabulary” or is “good for your brain” –their attitudes about reading and the value of books and reading did not change as a result of participating in the SRP –for the one participant who was not a reader (he said the worst part of the SRP was the actual reading!), the SRP did not convince him that reading was fun or interesting

16. Findings: Rhetoric of SRPs -disconnect between the rhetoric and the practice –adults talk about books and reading as important for children & many adults have found that reading is much more interesting and engaging when there is a social element to their reading experiences; but how does this translate into what libraries do during SRPs (or for other programs)?

17. Recommendations: National Program -TD Summer Reading Club should be more firmly grounded in LIS and educational research -earlier delivery of materials to local libraries to allow for more planning time -manual should include stronger/more concrete examples of how libraries could design programs that better engage children with books and reading -wider variety of materials that appeal to older children

18. Recommendations: Schools & School Libraries -to develop strong relationships between children and adults, school libraries should be staffed with qualified personnel who can work to create a “reading environment” (Chambers, 1991) -purchase books and other materials that appeal to children (e.g. adventure books, fantasy novels, nonfiction, and graphic novels) and display them in a way that is appealing to children and make them easy to find –limit (eliminate?) restrictions on borrowing from the school library –eliminate reading programs such as Accelerated Reader -build strong relationships with public libraries in order to maintain some consistency between summer and the school year

19. Recommendations: Public Libraries adequate planning time and support for that planning is essential staff members and volunteers who plan and implement SRPs need to have the background, and knowledge, skills, and attributes required to plan activities that engage children with literature –teachers and/or preservice teachers are not always the best choice! library schools need to ensure that their graduates are well prepared to plan and implement (or manage other staff member) SRPs that are effective in engaging children with books and reading –LIS education should include required courses on reading, reading theory and reader’s advisory, and courses on managing children’s services, children’s and YA materials, and program planning and development should be regularly scheduled

20. Recommendations: Public Libraries traditional SRPs no longer as effective as perhaps they once were; considering new ways to plan and offer programs for children and youth is essential –further integration of Web 2.0 technologies into programs and activities would be one way to do this programs need to provide children with time for rich discussion and collaboration between peers and informal time for staff to interact with children in meaningful ways is also essential traditional reading games emphasize that reading is a lonely and individual pursuit; re-thinking a reading game that focuses less on monitoring children’s reading and more on reading engagement is highly recommended less adult control over the reading program and game and focus on ways to allow children to take greater control over their reading experiences