Library begins annual summer reading program

It’s time for everyone to dive into “oceans of possibilities” with this year’s Sweetwater County Library System summer reading program.

The program, which encourages everyone to read by offering prizes and activities throughout the summer, will run from June 6 to August 6. Sign-up started Tuesday and will continue through Saturday. The first 500 kids to sign up receive a book bag, and kids who sign up by Saturday will receive a free book. Kids can also pick up a coloring sheet and turn it in before June 11 to receive a summer reading program t-shirt with this year’s “oceans of possibilities” theme.

By Tuesday afternoon, about 170 kids had already signed up system-wide, according to Youth Services Manager Becky Iwen, and she expects to see the number grow over the new few weeks.

Although there are special prizes for signing up early, anyone can sign up and start participating in the program at any point throughout the summer. Those who participate in the program just need to keep track of how many minutes they read, which helps them earn prizes and chances to win gift baskets.

“The more they read, the more prizes they’ll get and the more entries,” Iwen explained.

When kids turn in their reading logs at the Sweetwater County Library in Green River, they’ll be able to get a new prize this year — a sticker from the new sticker machine. Kids can either get a mystery sticker out of the machine or pick out a sticker from one of 32 different sticker groups which include a variety of animals, designs, and even stickers from popular series like Star Wars and The Office.

Turning in reading logs also gives kids entries to win one of 12 main prizes at the end of the summer. Prizes include themed gift baskets, electronic devices and $100 gift cards. Four prizes are on display at each library, but participants can choose from any of the prizes they want to enter to win.

In addition to the prizes, the reading program also includes activities and events throughout the summer. There will be week-long activities that anyone can stop by the library to complete any time throughout the week.

This will help make the program “accessible for people that want to participate in the activities but can’t come at a certain date and time,” Iwen explained. The first week’s activity is making sticker books for the stickers kids will earn as they turn in each reading log.

In addition to each week’s activities, the library will host several special events, the first of which is a reptile show with Scales and Tails, a reptile and bird educational and entertainment company out of Utah.

The show will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 8, in Centennial Park. Other upcoming activities include interactive movie nights, an intro to Dungeons and Dragons event with Desert Keep Games and a color run obstacle course.

Normal library programs like toddler time, story time and teen Thursdays will also continue throughout the summer and tie in to the reading program. Two different story times will be available, with one focusing on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering Art and Math) activities and the other including a foam party in a different park each week. Teens can participate in a scratch ticket contest where they can win instant prizes or entries for a custom pair of Vans shoes.

Adults are also welcome to join in the summer reading program, and can enter to win a Yeti cooler or one of two Yeti tumblers.

The Rock Springs and White Mountain libraries will also be offering their own programs and events throughout the summer.

The summer reading program has been an important part of the library system for the past several decades, probably existing for as long as the libraries have been open, according to Iwen.

It takes months of work each year to make it happen, but Iwen believes the work is worth it to be able to keep offering more to the community.

“With the library system as a whole it’s really important to us that we that we fulfill our mission, which is to provide services for our community,” Iwen said. “Part of that is also providing programs for our youth and keeping them engaged and creating that lifelong love of reading. So having summer reading, making it a really big part of their summer, helps foster that creativity and provide those different kinds of experiences.”