Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Make Play Read Learn finales Make Play Read Learn passports
› South Chattanooga —
Cha t t a n o o g a Public Library officials are about to close the book on another summer reading program but not without a celebration of the record- setting Make Play Read Learn.
Mary Ba r n e t t , the library’s public relations and special projects coordinator, says the reading rolls are “almost at 4,000 registered citywide, which is more than we have done in many years.”
“In the first month, we broke a 20- year record,” she adds, “then things leveled off but remained steady and rising.”
And families can still register, she says, “so there is still time to play along.”
Barnett attributes the program’s s uccess to expanding outside t he library system and into neighborhoods “to make this a truly citywide summer learning program.”
“In this we added new partners where kids could register, do activities and get points [toward prizes] all around the city,” she says
This year, children could sign up at all of the city’s youth and family development centers, Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc., Northside Neighborhood House, The Bethlehem Center, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga Zoo, Center for Mindful Living and the Creative Discovery Museum, among other places.
Kids especially responded to the Make Play Read Learn passport, which t racked t heir s ummer activities and gathered their points. Barnett says these chronicles double as family keepsakes and reminders of what kids did over summer vacation.
“Adding this piece has been a smash hit, and our librarians and partners have been seeing kids all summer carrying their passports into the local museums and rec centers and branches to eagerly . earn some points and get a stamp from that location,” Barnett says.
The passport was designed to resemble an actual passport in size and content, complete with a place for the child’s photo.
“It is definitely something we’ll do again,” Barnett says.
Finale parties, open to all, are scheduled Saturday, July 30, with various events at the four library locations. Names of grand- prize winners will be drawn at random at 4 p.m. for iPad Minis and $25 iTunes gift cards (one set for ages 8-18, another for younger participants).
Drawings for 10 additional prizes in each of the two age categories will be held the following week after tickets have been collected from the partnering registration sites.