For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2012
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.— By popular demand, the Santa Clara County Library annual Summer Reading Program is back since June 1st. This family and community service, available to all Santa Clara County Library District users, seeks to promote literacy and to foster a love of reading.
“Often adults who care for children worry about how to occupy them in productive, yet economically reasonable activities during the summer recess”, said Supervisor George Shirakawa, President County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. “This reading program is very popular because it is accessible and its benefits are tangible. We develop our minds and our literacy skills every time we read a good book.”
“The love of reading is not necessarily something that we are born with,” said County of Santa Clara Supervisor Mike Wasserman, Delegate for the County Library District Joint Powers Authority. “This is a great opportunity for parents to expose their children to the wonderful world of reading, which can easily lead to a lifetime of learning and entertainment.”
Santa Clara County Library invites readers of all ages to participate in the Library Summer Reading Program by signing up online and reading or listening to books. Participation in the Summer Reading Program is not limited to people that hold library cards. Community members can sign up online, and keep track of what they have read, rate books, and earn badges online.
“The Summer reading Program benefits everyone,” said Delegate for the County of Santa Clara Supervisor Liz Kniss, County Library District Joint Powers Authority. “Besides ensuring that students are more adequately prepared for the upcoming school year, we are helping create opportunities to motivate teens to read and discuss literature, and encourage adults to experience the joy of reading as well.”
The Santa Clara Summer Reading program will take place from June 1—August 31. Last year alone, 6,334 children, 1,342 teenagers, and 572 adults participated.
“Studies have shown that children who participate in summer reading programs returned to school ready to learn and with improved reading skills,” said Gail Mason, Library Services Manager, Collection Development and Reading Services. “We look forward to another successful and rewarding 2012 reading program.”
About the Santa Clara County Library District
Established by the County Board of Supervisors in 1914, the Santa Clara County Library District serves residents of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and the unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. It also includes two bookmobiles and a Virtual Library. The Santa Clara County Library collection includes 1.8 million books, videos, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, ebooks and extensive online resources that users can access from home or work.
Santa Clara County Library District collection includes 1.8 million books, videos, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, ebooks and extensive online resources that users can access from home or work.
Santa Clara County Library is one of the top 100 libraries in the United States. For eleven years, it has ranked as one of the best in the nation for its size by Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings which uses 15 different benchmark measures such as collections, circulation, visits and customer service. Also recognized as one of America’s 2011 Star Libraries by Library Journal and with more than 3.3 million visits each year, the Santa Clara County Library District is one of the most-used public resources in the region. Visit Santa Clara County Library District online at www.sccl.org.
Media Contact: Gwendolyn Mitchell/Marina Hinestrosa, Office of Public Affairs (408) 299-5119; Gail Mason, Santa Clara County Library Services Manager (408) 293-2326, ext. 3020
