Earn Prizes and Attend Special Events at the Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries
The Summer Reading Program begins on June 15th at the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries! This year’s program – Adventure Begins at Your Library – is open to children, teens, and adults, and will run through July 27th. To participate, all you need to do is stop by the Goleta Valley Library, Bookvan, Buellton Library, or Solvang Library to pick up your Reading Log. A big thank you to our teen volunteers who help make this event happen.
Children’s Librarian Kaeley Christensen said, “I am so excited to share this program with our community this summer. We have some great events planned and really fantastic prizes donated by our generous local businesses! We have something for everyone this year, with prizes for all ages. This is one of the most important programs we do all year because it helps prevent the “summer slide”, keeps kids motivated to read, and sets up our local students for success during the months in between school years.”
Our local businesses are an integral part of helping to motivate readers by donating prizes that participants can earn at different milestones based on the number of books they read. Participants in the Youth category (grades K-6) earn prizes for every five books or 300 minutes they read, and participants in the Teen category (grades 7-12) earn prizes for every book they read. Similarly, participants in the Adult category (ages 18+) receive one prize drawing ticket for each book they read, which they can enter in the library’s weekly prize drawings. Families with little ones under the age of 5 can participate in our 1,000 Books before Kindergarten program, which is year-round, and will have additional incentives during the Summer Reading Program. Reading in all formats is welcome, including print books, graphic novels, eBooks, and audiobooks. Access eBooks and audiobooks for free with your library card.
The Summer Reading Program also includes amazing special events for all ages! Each week, programs and special performances will be held across our three library locations. We have some returning acts, like Magician Shawn McMaster, and some new faces, including a Hula show, presented by Hula Anyone. We also have some fun craft activities, scavenger hunts, and everyone’s favorite, the Stuffed Animal Sleepover to wrap up the program in July! Check out our calendar here and below for a full list of scheduled events.
Last year’s Summer Reading Program saw a lot of engagement: 2,540 community members attended 26 events, 1,918 children and teens registered to participate, and adults read 1,060 books. Let’s make this year even better!
