Josephine Community Library invites the community to join the 2023 Summer Reading Program from June 10 through August 5 with activities, in-person weekly crafts, and prizes for all ages. The 2023 theme is “Find Your Voice,” sponsored by the State Library of Oregon.
Participants can track their reading using the online reading tracker and earn raffle tickets for prizes at the end of the program. Community members can visit the library website at josephinelibrary.org, check the Daily Courier, the Country Weekly, or visit in-person at a branch in Grants Pass, Illinois Valley, Williams, and Wolf Creek for weekly themed activities, recommended reading, and interactive resources for all ages.
Online registration for the Summer Reading Program begins in June. Summer Reading Program activity booklets, crafts, and registration prizes are available while supplies last at all branches beginning June 10.
In addition, special events include:
- Weekly themed “craftivities” from 1–4 pm every open day during the Summer Reading Program at all four branches
- Drop in for weekly art classes facilitated and sponsored by Illinois River Valley Arts Council on Saturdays between 11 am–2 pm at the Illinois Valley branch.
- The Traveling Crew interactive performance led by local performing artists Bobbi Kidder and Ed Gangner will present an interactive program that includes story, music, and movement for children and their families at the Grants Pass and Illinois Valley library branches.
- Grants Pass: June 17 from 11 am–12:30 pm
Williams: June 17 from 2–3:30 pm
- Grants Pass: June 17 from 11 am–12:30 pm
- The Pop-Up Storybook Walk can be found at various locations throughout Josephine County during the month of July, including select Summer Meals Program sites in Grants Pass and in other locations around Josephine County
- During Bugs-R-Us: Reptiles and Amphibians, touch and explore live insects and witness some of the largest preserved insects on earth. Participants who are feeling extra brave will even have a chance to try some edible bugs.
- Williams: July 6 from 1–2 pm
- Grants Pass: July 8 from 10:30–11:30 am
- Illinois Valley: July 9 from 12:30–1:30 pm
- Wolf Creek: August 5 from 11:30 am–12:30 pm
- Book clubs for teens and adults
- Bilingual Storytime will feature stories in Spanish and incorporate American Sign Language this year.
- Williams: June 30 from 11 am–12 pm (Spanish)
- Illinois Valley: July 1 drop-in during open hours (American Sign Language)
- The “Who Can Vote? A Brief History of Voting Rights in the US” traveling panel exhibit organized by Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History will be on display at the Grants Pass branch from June 12 through July 22.
- The Southern Oregon Historical Society brings us “Windows in Time: Wayward Girls of the Rogue Valley”
- Grants Pass: Thursday, July 6 from 5–6:30 pm
- Illinois Valley: Saturday, July 8 from 12–1:30 pm
- …and more.
Summer reading programs have long been acknowledged by researchers and the general public as key to the long-term academic success of students. Numerous studies have shown that reading over the summer months prevents “summer reading loss,” which can have a cumulative effect. Studies show that by the end of sixth grade, children who lose reading skills over the summer are two years behind their classmates.
The Summer Reading Program and related events are offered at no cost to participants. A library card is not needed to take part. To get a physical library card, community members can visit their preferred branch in Grants Pass, Illinois Valley, Williams, or Wolf Creek during open hours. Annual library card sponsorship for children and adults who live in Josephine County, but do not live within the library district boundary are available thanks to funding from Josephine Community Library Foundation.
For more information about the 2023 Summer Reading Program and related events, click here, call 541-476-0571, or email info@josephinelibrary.org.