6.1. LIBSR 09-22-2015 (.0
Library Services Coordinator's Report
Elk River Library Board
September 2015
Summer Reading Program 2015
Our ten week program ended in early August. We celebrated with a pizza party at the end for the
biggest readers (children who turned in six coupons, representing 30 hours of reading over the
program). Approximately 100 children were invited to the pizza party. We did have about 200
less total registrations than in 2014,but we had over 1,200 more records/coupons returned than
last year.
• 1,058 children registered (started or signed up for the program), including:
o 91 babies and toddlers in the "Read to Me" program,
o 787 children between age 3 and grade 6,
o and 180 teens
• 2,279 records or coupons were returned (children/teens could return more than one each):
o 38 baby/toddler records (showing participation in reading-related activities),
o 1,487 children's records (representing 7,435 hours of reading),
o and 754 teen coupons (representing 3,016 hours of reading)
As they have for many years now,our wonderful Friends of the Library group contributed
$2,000 for incentives of a book for babies, children and teens who completed at least one record
or coupon. This year, they gave us even more money for additional incentives of a pencil, candy,
or bookmark, etc., for each of six different coupons children completed, representing five hours
. . .
of reading per coupon. They also sponsored the pizza party at the end, a first event of its kind in
Elk River.
Elk River branch Library Assistants Pamela Wagman, Laura Cassiday, and others contributed
immensely to the planning and execution of the 2015 Summer Reading Program. We truly could
not have done it without them. A challenge in past years was that children would read until they
finished their first four or five hours, turn in their record/coupon, and then stop participating in
the program after receiving the first incentive of a book. Kudos to Pam, Laura and the rest of the
ER Library Assistants for their implementation of the novel six-coupon incentive structure to
keep kids reading throughout summer.
Windmill Unveiling
Many thanks to the City of Elk River staff and volunteers who made this unveiling a success!
City Administrator Calvin Portner, Mayor John Deitz, Economic Development Authority
President Dan Tveite and sculptor Carl Zachmann made remarks before a ceremonial ribbon-
cutting. The Friends of the Elk River Library served refreshments in the meeting room after. City
of Elk River Economic Development Specialist Colleen Eddy did a superb job organizing all the
many moving parts of this windmill unveiling.