For Immediate Release:

May 27, 2010

 

Library’s summer reading program is online

 

 

MANALAPAN, NJ – It’s summertime and the reading is easy.

 

Whether you’re 5 or 50, the Monmouth County Library has a summer reading club for you. And this year, no matter your age, you can record your books online, win prizes and earn your way to a special end-of-summer celebration.

 

Last year, the Library’s online reading program was initiated by children’s programming. This year it has been extended to teens and adults.

 

Online registration starts June 1 for all four Monmouth County Library summer reading programs: Pre-School, Children’s, Teens and Adults. Go to the Monmouth County Library webpage at www.monmouthcountylib.org and click on the Make a Splash! link to get to the summer reading page, choose your program and then create a login name and password.

 

The registration period begins June 1. You can register for the reading programs anytime during the summer until the programs close Aug. 13.

 

Then, starting on June 21, you can log into your account and begin recording your books and reading time. Record any recreational reading you undertake. Students can log their required school reading online as well. It all counts.

 

Branches throughout the Monmouth County Library system will be holding special events to kick off the summer reading programs.

 

For teens, the vacation reading kickoff event – “Make Waves at Your Library” – will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 19 at the Library headquarters in Manalapan, 125 Symmes Drive. The free event will offer live music and a tie-dye session, along with refreshments. This event is for grades 6 to 12 only, and registration is required. Call the library at 732-431-7220 or stop by the reference desk to register.

 

The children’s summer reading program will hold a series of free “Make a Splash!” family concerts by singer-songwriter Patricia Shih at nine different branches during the week of June 21. Shih, an award-winning singer-songwriter, has recorded four albums and has starred as host of cable TV’s “Tell Me a Story.” Her music, which she dubs “folk fusion,” blends folk music with jazz, Broadway, classical, rock and country styles. Shih will give the following performances:

 

• On Tuesday, June 22, concerts will be held at Ocean Township Library at 11 a.m., the Eastern Branch Library in Shrewsbury at 3 p.m., and the Headquarters in Manalapan at 7 p.m. Oceanport and West Long Branch library families are welcome to join in the fun at the Eastern Branch concert.
• On Wednesday, June 23, concerts will be held at Hazlet Township Library at 11 a.m., at the Marlboro Township Library at 3 p.m., and at the Wall Township Library at 7 p.m.
• On Thursday, June 24, the concerts will be held at Howell Township Library at 11 a.m., Allentown at 3 p.m. and Holmdel at 7 p.m. Colts Neck Library families are welcome to join in the fun at the Holmdel branch concert.

In addition, the Howell Township Library will host a kickoff party for its adult summer reading program. At 2 p.m. Saturday, June 12 the library will host a free concert, “From Italy con Amore” (with Love), an afternoon of Italian traditional standards and Italian/American love ballads. Tenor Salvatore Chiarelli and Soprano Elga Johannes will perform favorites, including “O Sole Mio,” “Mamma,” “Torna A Sorrenta,” and “Be My Love.”

 

An end-of-summer celebration for teens will be held on Friday, Aug. 13 with a “Murder Mystery – Hollywood Style!” From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Library Headquarters in Manalapan, professional entertainers will guide participants, interact with them and provide the clues needed to solve the mystery. This program is for teens in grades 6 through 12, and registration is required. Call headquarters at 732-431-7220 for more information

 

Children who reach their reading goals for the summer will be invited to special end-of-summer celebrations at the branch library where they registered. Check with your local branch for events.

 

For school age children, the goal is to log eight hours of reading. For teens, the goal is 800 pages. For adults, the goal is four books.

 

For children who are not yet reading independently, there is the Read-To-Me-Club.

The goal in this program is for a child to listen to 20 books.

 

The online program alerts each reader when the halfway point and the final reading goal are reached with a message of congratulations. For the children’s reading program, prizes are issued at the mid-point and when the reading goal is reached. Teens and adults receive a prize when they reach their reading goal.

 

Prizes are determined by each branch library, and each participant registers online with the branch library of their choice. Prizes can be picked up at the branch where you registered. 

 

Looking for something good to read? Visit your local library and pick up some books!

           

For more information on summer reading program throughout the summer, and for information on what your branch library is hosting, please visit the Library’s webpage at www.monmouthcountylib.org

 

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