Summer reading is just around the corner! It’s always one of the best times of the year at the library, and this year it takes on added significance. Due to COVID-19, the school year was interrupted for kids everywhere, and summer reading can help to fill in the gaps and prepare them for resuming school activities when fall rolls around. hoopla is pleased to offer collections that are perfect for summer reading—in audiobook, eBook, comics, and even video! You can let your patrons know about digital summer reading collections from hoopla with downloadable assets available on our Resource Center.
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hoopla Is Great for Summer Reading!
With Victoria Day behind us in Canada and Memorial Day coming up in the United States, there’s no denying that summer is on its way. If the kids in your community aren’t yet out of school for the season, they will be soon.
Which means it’s time for summer reading! Libraries have offered summer reading programs since the 1890s to keep children engaged and bridge the gap between the end of the school year in summer and when it begins again in the fall. The ALA website asserts that summer reading programs help to keep kids’ skills up during their time off, encourage reluctant readers (audiobooks and comics are excellent in this area, as well), and engender reading as a lifetime habit. Some of my own fondest memories from childhood summers involve entering the cool hush of the library from the bright heat outside and wandering among the shelves, picking out a giant stack of books to take home and read.
Spending time at the library is priceless, and that’s never been more true than it is today. But if your library participates in hoopla, it makes summer reading even easier, more convenient, and more fun! Kids can now take home slightly smaller stacks of books, thanks to the great content available on hoopla. That’s also nice for road trips—no need to take a ton of physical books along when you have access to so many on a phone or tablet! They can also check out something new as soon as they’re finished with what they have, even if they’re out of town with family or when the library is closed for the night. And when it’s time for a change of pace, they can always supplement their regular reading with an audiobook or a comic or graphic novel.
Kids are attached to their devices, while their parents, teachers, and even doctors are concerned about the amount of time they spend in front of screens. It can be especially difficult to manage during the summer, when their time is less structured. Combining hoopla and summer reading is a win-win in this area as well. Kids can still use their devices as they immerse themselves in an eBook, audiobook, or comic through the hoopla app. There’s plenty of content to keep them occupied, from Sesame Street eBooks for the youngest readers through to the DC Rebirth comics series for the older crowd.
Supercharge your library’s summer reading program with hoopla digital. If you aren’t currently using hoopla, you can visit library.hoopladigital.com to learn more, or call 800.875.2785 with any questions.