Summer Reading Club 2024 – Adventure Begins at Your Library

The Ruth Enlow Library is pleased to announce the launch of Summer Reading Club 2024 “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” Events are kicking off with a “Radical Reptiles!” program presented by Reptile Smiles. We invite you to join Nicole and her critters to learn all about Radical Reptiles! Participants will have the chance to engage with a huge variety of reptiles while learning fun, quirky facts about their biology, environment, and more! All ages are welcome to enjoy hands-on learning and experience the radical world of reptiles!  Two performances of “Radical Reptiles” will be held on Thursday, June 20: the first at the Main Library in Oakland at 10:30 AM and the second at the Grantsville Library at 4:30 PM. This event is free and open to all registered Summer Reading Club participants.

A series of action-packed programs and events celebrating adventure, curiosity, learning, and connection is scheduled throughout the summer at all local Ruth Enlow Library branches.  Participants will have the opportunity to go on a “Backyard Birding Adventure” with the University of Maryland Extension, Garrett County Master Gardeners; learn all about fishing with New Germany State Park Rangers Noah and Hannah; explore instruments from around the world with Dr. Sean Beachy from Garrett College; and attend an assortment of other amazing events! Summer Reading Club 2024 will wrap-up with a live concert of original music presented by musicians Josh “Pap” Miller and Shane Schoenadel on the Boxcar Stage B&O Railroad Museum in Oakland. In the case of inclement weather, the location will be moved to the Main Library in Oakland.  All programs are free, and children choose their own reading materials and track their progress using reading logs provided in the programming brochure. Children can participate in the reading club by completing a “Summer Reading Road Trip” challenge to earn prizes and/or by attending events.

Participants must register online at https://www.relib.net/src. Programming schedules and reading logs are available for pickup at all Ruth Enlow library locations. These materials can also be accessed online by visiting https://www.relib.net/src-resources. Any questions can be answered by calling your local library branch or emailing the following contacts: julie@relib.net for Oakland, accident.branch@relib.net for Accident, ryan@relib.net for Grantsville, melissa@relib.net for Friendsville, and diane@relib.net for Kitzmiller.

“Summer Reading Club helps stop the ‘summer slide’ – a documented two-month loss in learning over the summer break – by encouraging students to read about topics that interest them in the format that they enjoy most including graphic novels,” said Julie Iden, Programming Supervisor at the Main Library, Oakland. “Motivating children to read over the summer helps bridge the gap in learning between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next one.”

Summer Reading Club is a cooperative project between the local Maryland public libraries and the Maryland State Department of Education. The state is also a member of the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.

The Friends of the Ruth Enlow Library contribute significant funds toward the library’s summer reading program, while local organizations and businesses provide support with incentives. Statewide, the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, and the Baltimore Orioles contribute tickets and passes to participating libraries.

Funding for Radical Reptiles!, presented by Reptile Smiles, is provided by Western Maryland Regional Library, the regional resource center for the public libraries of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington Counties.

The Ruth Enlow Library serves the residents of Garrett County, Maryland, with branches in Oakland, Accident, Friendsville, Grantsville, and Kitzmiller. The library provides access to a wide range of resources, including books, digital media, educational programs, and community services.

For more information about Summer Reading Club and other library events, visit www.relib.net or contact your local branch.