All-together those participating in Jefferson County Library System’s Summer Reading Program, logged 336.5 hours of reading during its two-month window.
“This summer has been so much fun, and I am glad that you all chose to ‘Start Your Adventure’ with us,” said Jefferson County Library Director Christina Shepherd. “I went through all the titles, because I wanted to see if there was a book that was outstanding, but there wasn’t. Everybody was reading something different. The only time I saw a title repeated was when there were sibling groups and the parents wanted both kids to read it. People were reading what they wanted to read, which was fabulous.”
The library system had 34 readers meet the goal of reading for 180 minutes this summer. The library awarded 266 badges through the program.
Among the top readers were Jasmine Trammell who logged 1,952 minutes or 32 hours of reading; Caleb Underwood who logged 1,504 minutes or 25 hours; and Chance Dishmond who logged 1,375 minutes or 23 hours.
“I had them starting as young as 1 up to adults, and I don’t ask their age once they turn 18, they are all 18-plus,” Shepherd said. “I feel blessed that we were able to offer a prize pack to anyone who completed the minimum reading goals.”
While the system’s June numbers for visitors and what was being checked out were comparable to last year, July saw a significant increase.
"We knocked it out of the park in July,” Shepherd said. “Our circulation in July of last year was only 1,691 titles. This year we were at 2,437.”
The library held drawings amongst the children and teens who completed their minimum reading. One was selected from each branch and the following three were presented with Kindle devices: Isaiah Underwood, Louisville; Jru Smith, Wadley and Henry Carter, McCollum in Wrens.
Tents used in the Summer Adventure displays in the children’s areas at each branch were also given away through random drawings to Summer Reading participants ages 0-12. The winners of the tents were: DJ Prescott, McCollum; Bryar Bryant, Wadley; and Brannen Miller, Louisville.
Shepherd said that the library system’s Fall programming will kick off in September.
"We’re going to be bringing back our story times and our afterschool STEM projects and hopefully some new programming for adults,” she said. “Thank you again to everyone who made our Summer program special.”
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Local youth enjoy Summer reading adventure
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