The South Carolina State Library Board of Trustees and State Librarian, David Goble, are encouraging all children and teens in South Carolina to participate in the statewide free summer reading programs, Catch the Reading Bug and Metamorphosis @ Your Library. “The ability to read is essential. South Carolina is competing with other states to establish itself in the growing information economy,” State Librarian, David Goble said. “Reading during the summer months helps children improve the reading skills they’ve developed during the school year and help close the achievement gap.”
The Summer Reading Program encourages reading at all student levels, but with so many choices, how does a child know where to start? Local librarians are there to help, guiding children and teens to books that are in tune with their tastes and interests. “When children find an interesting topic, genre, or subject and make a connection with it, the more apt they are to continue wanting to read and explore," said Deborah Hotchkiss, Director of Library Development. “Each and every family should take advantage of the summer reading program to help their child continue to be engaged and excited about learning what is important to them.”
The South Carolina State Library takes part in the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries. This year, the State Library has also partnered with PAIRS, Parents and Adults Inspiring Reading Success– a project of SC daily newspapers and administered by the SC Education Oversight Committee, to bring awareness of the program to a larger audience than ever before. According to Dana Yow, Director of Communications and Community Involvement for the Education Oversight Committee, “Reading is a critical skill for students. It is the key to individual success in learning because it is the foundation for success in all subject areas. ...Building an appreciation for reading and learning today will help your children be successful in school and more than likely, they will become lifelong readers and learners.” The Library’s Talking Book Services offers students who are blind, visually impaired and physically handicapped a statewide summer reading program with many wonderful reading opportunities. According to Pamela Davenport, Director of Talking Book Services, this special program “offers students the ability to participate, learn, and most importantly continue to build their reading skills during the summer months. The library is able to offer a wide variety of titles in audio books and Braille. We also hold an annual summer reading party for our summer reading participants here in Columbia and this year we hope to have many more enthusiastic participants!” Talking Books Services has formed a partnership with the South Carolina School for the Deaf and The Blind and offers a special awards program each summer on the campus.
For more information about the 2008 Summer Reading Programs, please visit the Summer Reading web page.
Planning for the 2008 Summer Reading Program was made possible with federal Library Services and Technology Act funds awarded to the South Carolina State Library by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The project was coordinated in part by Jane Connor, former Youth Services Consultant and Deborah Hotchkiss, Director of Library Development.
