the votes are in!

The votes are in!  The reading log for tracking hours read has been dubbed “Hero Journal”.

Age Groups are identified as follows:

1s are called Wonders
2s are called Marvels
3-5s are called Mighty Readers
K-5 are called Super Readers

The book review is the “Super Reader Review”

Stay tuned for finalized booklets from Children's in the very near future.  Registration begins May 18th!

a july that's 'cold as ice'

Hard to believe we're in the final week of Summer Reading!!!

kids ages 3-5 fizz, boom, pop!

Kids ages 3-5 are fizzing, booming, and popping with energy
at the Summer Reading performance on Thurs, 07/17!

(thanks to Emma for creating & sharing the collage)

teen game show challenge

This week teens tested their knowledge of science in
the Game Show Challenge.  Do you know what IBM
stands for or what form of art uses tiny dots?

fizz, boom, FLY! at east

Storyteller Lona Bartlett kept the school-age kids engaged...

and the teens learned how to make it fly this week!

(thanks to Emma @ East for the collage and photo!)

week 2: mad science

Week 2: Mad Science takes the kids Up, Up and Away
This spellbinding special event illustrates the principles of air pressure. Children will be astonished as we use air to levitate different items, and will learn how the forces at work affect the world around us. Mad Scientists will make a hot air balloon out of a garbage bag and have a volunteer demonstrate the science behind an airplane. Watch a vortex generator at work, ride a hovercraft, and see just how strong air pressure is! It’s all possible when you send kids Up, Up and Away!

online registration tips

In addition to these FAQs for the Adult Summer Reading (which also apply to Children and Teens), here are a few additional issues that have come up when people are registering for summer reading:

• Creating a username: although no parameters are specified, it appears that the username must be between 6 and 12 characters long.  If the name is not accepted, the box will turn red and the user must try a different name.
  
• Creating a password: although no parameters are specified, it appears that the minimum length is 5 characters and that passwords must contain 1 digit and 1 letter.  If the password is not accepted, the box will turn red and the user must try a different password.
  
• Thank You message:  this is the message people receive once they have created their account.  It has been updated to help clarify how to log in and begin tracking hours:
  

  We are so excited you have signed up for Summer Reading!  Please close this window and go back to the "Events for [Kids or Teens]" page to sign in with your new account and begin to Track Reading time. 

  When users click on "Continue", they will be looped back to the registration page (there is a problem with the redirect code).  This page is where you sign up for a new account, not where you log in.  As the "thank you" message states, users will need to exit this page, go back to the "Events for Adults" page on our website, and click on "Track Reading" to log in.
  
• Email address optional:  the requirement for users to share their e-mail address has been disabled.  Anyone who wishes to register for summer reading using their library card number and PIN may do so without providing an e-mail address.

If you experience additional issues and would like to share as an FAQ, please send to April.  Thanks!

online registration is LIVE!!!

Online registration for children’s summer reading will go LIVE Friday morning IS LIVE!!!!!!

I know this adds another component to an already hectic kick-off week but we are up to the challenge.

I recommend you register for adult summer reading as a way to become familiar with the system.

If you have not already done so, you need to watch the webinar linked below ASAP!  This webinar is specifically for staff and goes over the online registration process and how online tracking works.  Erika has already added Rowan County Schools.  An email was sent out in May 5th with the same link to all children’s staff.

http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ld/webinars.html

From this link, select:  Summer Reading Online Management Tool: For Staff Users

A few quick FAQ:

Folks do not have to register online in order to participate in summer reading!  Both the paper system and the online system will be used at all branches.

If a parent/guardian/teen does not have an email address, they can still participate online.

An email address is required as part of the registration process but is not required after their account has been set-up.  They may miss out on special announcements and promotions, but will have access to all the online program features.  At this time, Melissa will create their accounts and call them with their login information.  Staff will need to take all the regular summer reading registration information along with a phone number and their branch preference so we can call them with their login information.  Forward this information to Melissa.  Accounts will be set up within 24 hours.

Parents may create an account and then register their children under their account.  Each child will have their own sub-account to track their own individual hours.  When children want to login, they will use their own username and password.  Their parent does not have to login first.

Teens will only be able to track reading hours this summer.  We will look for ways to track activities for next summer.

Anyone who has logged hours the traditional way (purple/orange logs) and later registers online can have those earlier hours added to their online account.   As we don’t have any hours logged yet, this is not an issue but folks need to know this is possible should they choose to register online later on.  The details of how this will be accomplished are in development.

Let the fun begin!

- Melissa

summer reading book lists

ALSC's Quicklists Consulting Committee has updating our Summer Reading Lists with new and exciting titles!
The lists are full of book titles to keep children engaged in reading throughout the summer.  Three Summer Reading book lists are available for K-2^nd, 3^rd- 5^th and 6^th-8^th grade students.

Each list is available below to download for free in color and black and white.  Lists can be customized to include library information, summer hours and summer reading programs for children before making copies available to schools and patrons.


K - 2nd grade ( Color | B&W )
3rd - 5th grade ( Color | B&W )
6th - 8th grade ( Color | B&W )

summer reading is almost here!

Registration begins Monday, May 12th!  Let's get ready for another great summer!

end of summer celebration this thursday

tunneling with teens: beneath your feet program

scratching the surface teen craft

skill toy workshop for teens

flow circus is coming to town!

teen game show challenge this week

teens are turning INSIDE OUT!

captain jim is sailing in to aRRRh-P-L!

teens are getting fossilized!

pint size polka is coming to RPL!