Summer Reading works.

I’m sure I’m not the first to blog about this (and I certainly won’t be the last), but the release of a new study about Summer Reading impacts has me churning with ideas and possibilities. The GLIS at Dominican University has some pretty good data to prove what we have known for years–children’s librarians are doing significant, important work. How we get leaders — in the library world, in the financial world, in the education departments of our governments – to recognize and support this is what I see as our biggest hurdle. The executive summary has a few recommendations, which I would hope someday to see come true. The first is “Recognizing that public libraries play a significant role in helping to close the achievement gap in school performance”. Read the full report (executive summary is included in this) here.

So, as you sigh over how hard you are working to make all those grumpy parents happy about your Summer Reading Club, as you answer yet another question about how the prizes are awarded, as you pull one more copy of Geronimo Stilton off the shelf, remember what we are doing. We are as important as all those teachers who make more money than us and get summers off.** We are providing FUN when it comes to reading. We are impacting the lives of children who may not have books at home. We are changing lives, and we are doing it for less money than most summer school programs. Just something to chew on as you relinquish your summer vacations and think of great holiday locations that scream “Autumn”.

**No offense to teachers. I am glad that they are there doing their jobs and getting well paid, and I know that “summer off” is a relative term. But in many areas, they do make more money and get better benefits than a typical public librarian.