Children of all ages and families are invited to experience the joy of reading and earn great prizes for their reading activity during The Indianapolis Public Library’s 101st Summer Reading Program, “Imagine Your Story,” beginning June 1 and continuing through Aug. 1. The program’s presenting sponsor is the Indianapolis Indians.
This year’s program for the first time will allow participants to track the amount of time spent reading, instead of the number of books read, in order to receive prizes generously donated by community sponsors. They can choose their own adventures by reading library books, books from home, e-books, magazines, graphic novels, or listening to audiobooks. Prizes are awarded at one-hour, five-hour and 10-hour levels of achievement.
Also new this year is the online tracking tool Beanstack, which allows participants or their parents to register for the program and report reading progress. It can be found at indypl.beanstack.org or by searching in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Participants who prefer to track their reading activity on paper may call their local IndyPL branch to register, report and redeem prizes.
Younger children unable to read can have parents, siblings or caregivers read aloud to them to log their reading minutes and earn prizes. Older children may log minutes for themselves by reading to younger ones.
In addition to choosing such prizes as books, drawstring backpacks and tickets to Indianapolis Indians games for meeting reading milestones, participants can complete any of a number of fun and educational activities and enter into drawings for special prizes. These include bicycles awarded to a lucky winner at each of the library’s 23 sites, courtesy of Meijer. Also, all participants will automatically be entered to win a CollegeChoice529 savings account.
The Summer Reading Program is presented by Friends of the Library through gifts to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. Major sponsors are 92.3 WTTS; Herbert Simon Family Foundation; The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund; Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust; Mary Frances Rubly & Jerry Hummer; and Samerian Foundation. Supporting sponsors are BKD CPAs & Advisors; Citizens Energy Group; CollegeChoice CD 529 Savings Plan; Indianapolis Colts; Louise Lage Kirtland and Hugh C. Kirtland Endowment Fund, a fund of The Indianapolis Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Office of Lawrence Township Trustee Steve Talley; OneAmerica®, Marlyne Sexton; and The Swisher Foundation, Inc., in memory of Glenn M. Swisher.
In 2019, 46,040 children participated in the Summer Reading Program’s 100th anniversary edition.
For more information on this year’s event, visit indypl.org/srp.
