First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, Delaware Libraries Announce 2021 Summer Library Reading Program

Registration is open for summer reading program

WILMINGTON, Del. –  Delaware’s First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney and State Librarian Dr. Annie Norman on Wednesday announced the launch of the 2021 statewide Summer Library Reading Program, Tails and Tales. Delaware libraries are noted for hosting the longest running statewide public library summer reading program in the nation. Now in its 43rd year, the annual Summer Library Reading Program provides early literacy programs to help children build and develop reading and language skills, teen programs that motivate teens to read and discuss literature, and programs that encourage adults to experience the joy of reading.

“Foundational language skills are critical for healthy brain development and school readiness for our youngest children,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, who convenes the First Chance Delaware initiative and serves as honorary chair of the Delaware Library Card Campaign and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. “Developing literacy skills and the library habit support ongoing success as students move through and beyond school. And the two-generation programs and access to supportive services at our libraries also help to build strong families and communities.”

“Libraries are helping Delaware students make up for the unfinished learning that occurred over the past year,” said Governor John Carney. “We are working to get third grade students reading on grade level, and reading even 20 minutes a day can have a big impact on a child’s development. I encourage Delaware families to visit your local library this summer, pick up a book, and encourage those in our lives to keep reading and keep learning.”

Registration for the Summer Library Reading Program at all public libraries is free in person or online. Incentive badges are awarded based on reading and activity milestones.  Visit the Summer Library Reading Program for the schedule of online and outdoor events throughout the summer. The Performing Arts component of the program is sponsored in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts.

“For more than 40 years – for generations of Delawareans – Delaware libraries have been cultivating reading and learning passions,” said State Librarian Dr. Annie Norman. “Whatever your interest, whatever your talent, the library supports it.”

Delaware libraries encourage Delawareans of all ages to track their reading and learning during the summer and throughout life. A variety of tips, tools, and techniques for tracking individual interests are available on the Unleash Inner Genius guide. Young “pre-readers” (children who cannot yet read) can get credit for books that are read to them. Throughout the summer, libraries provide a variety of fun and educational arts, cultural, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs to encourage reading and spark curiosity.

About the program:

Summer arts programs are supported by the Delaware Division of Libraries and, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division of Arts promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.

The Delaware Division of Libraries, a state agency dedicated to unleashing the potential in all Delawareans in partnership with Delaware Libraries and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, offers free access to the online catalog (delawarelibraries.org); Wi-Fi; computers/internet; eBooks; programs/workshops; community partnerships; and more.

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