VIRTUAL SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
Community goal is 1 million minutes of reading
Although the Ukiah library is closed to the public, staff continues to create programs, clean, order new books, answer phone calls and provide curbside pickup service by scheduled appointment.
The summer reading program challenges are underway at all county library branches and Ukiah’s, begun on June 29, open to children, teens and adults, like most everything else, has gone virtual.
Children’s librarian Sam White says the program has been scaled back from previous years taking into consideration the extraordinary circumstances created by the pandemic and the resultant universal stress.
Previously, participants would pick up a paper reading log and keep track of time or books read and submit the form for prizes. This year it is all online; downloadable reading logs are accessible at mendolibrary.beanstack.org or by calling White at 234-2865 or the main library number, 463-4490.
The program ends on Aug. 6, only six weeks in duration, and this year’s goal for children 10 and under is 10 hours or 600 minutes of reading, and the goal for teens and adults is 20 hours of reading. “If children read two picture books a night, they will reach their goal in a month,” says White.
The program started later than usual because staff decided it would be good for students to have some time between the end of the virtual school year and the beginning of another virtual program.
“We have scaled the program down… we don’t need any extra stress in our lives right now.”
Last year the program had 500 participants, including 350 children. So far this summer, and only beginning, there are about 50 people who have signed up.
Enrollment is ongoing and prizes for completion of the required reading time include
free books for all children, teens and adults and opportunities for children to enter drawings for more prizes.
Children who read an additional five or 10 hours, submit a book review or complete certain activities are eligible for drawings with prizes for up to 10 winners.
“I have quite a few children who are getting curbside books very frequently since we began the challenge,” says White. “Two of them have already reached their goal.”
For the first time, the reading challenge has a community goal of 1 million collective reading minutes.
In addition to setting up the reading program, White has been facilitating Facebook programs on Fridays at 10:30 a.m., telling stories and singing songs geared for young school age children. She has a live audience of between 50 and 100, and by the time she takes the video down the following week, a total of 200 have seen it.
“I get lots of likes and lots of hearts and lots of comments,” she says.
On Wednesday at 3:30
p.m., she presents science experiments through Full Steam Ahead, a science, technology, engineering and math program—originally planned to begin prior to COVID—WITH an audience participation of about 45.
“Last week we did balloon rockets; it didn’t go so well,” she smiles.
She has cleaned and reorganized the children’s room and ordered new books that she posts on Facebook so people can see what is available.
For teens, Katrina Griffiths, teen librarian, runs a weekly science program on Instagram on Wednesdays from 2 to 3 p.m. and presents a book talk, “Where the Wild Books Are,” every fourth Saturday of the month from 2 to 4 p.m.
For those interested, branch librarian Melissa Eleftherion Carr presents a virtual vinyasa yoga class led by Amelia Bernard on Saturdays—july 25, Aug. 29 and Sept. 26 — from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Eleftherion Carr also facilitates a social justice book club on Zoom starting on Thursday, July 9 at 3 p.m. The book, “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America” by Ibram X. Kendi, is available for curbside pickup
at the library. For more information, go to carrm@ mendocinocounty.org or call 234 2862.
Now that the Ukiah Library is again shipping books between Sonoma and Lake counties and branches throughout Mendocino County, the online library ordering catalogue is up and running at normal speed; however, people are limited to five books a week for curbside pickup.
Staff is kept busy with the demand for books and accepting returned books—through the outside book drop—that require a period of quarantining before being returned to circulation.
Phone calls are coming in from those who need help accessing the library’s digital services as many people are using ebooks and eaudio books for the first time.
“I have one little girl, a prolific reader, who calls me once a week and we talk for half an hour figuring out what she wants to read next; I love it; it’s the best part of my day when she calls.
“Call if you need anything; our patrons are the whole reason we do what we do. We are happy to spend time with you; we miss seeing you,” she says.