Daily Sitka Sentinel

Library Keeping Books Opened for the Summer

By ARIADNE WILL
Special to the Sentinel
    While summer may involve a break from school, Sitka Public Library tries to ensure that it’s not a break from reading.
    The Sitka Summer Reading Program, which began June 1 and will run through August 10, has programs for everyone, ages 0 to adult. This year’s theme, “a universe of stories,” will include events such as a teen sci-fi trivia night and a starlab event, scheduled for June 15 and 19, respectively.
    Maite Lorente, Youth Services director at the library, has overseen the Sitka Summer Reading Program since she began working there in 2006.
    “I have seen changes in the program’s mission and goals,” Lorente said. “When I started, the mission was focused on reading. Now the mission of the program goes beyond that, and Sitka Public Library shares the mission of a consortium of libraries called Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP).”

Maite Lorente, Youth Services director, sets up a summer reading program
display today at Sitka Public Library. (Sentinel photo by Ariadne Will)

    Under the CLSP umbrella, the Sitka library is one of thousands that participate in the summer reading program every year.
    Every state and territory in the U.S. has the opportunity to collaborate in the program, Lorente explained.
“CSPL is kind of like a nonprofit organization that organizes and decides everything that has to do with summer reading in every library in the U.S.”
    Information on the CSPL website explains that the program began in 1987 with the goal of working with librarians “to share ideas, expertise and costs to produce a high-quality summer reading program for children.” Today, CSPL has a presence in the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam and the Mariana Islands.
    Every year, representatives from each state and territory convene to determine themes, logo art, and program ideas for future summer reading programs. This information is then sent to every member library in the form of a manual.
    “The manual is kind of like the summer reading program bible for librarians like myself,” Lorente said. “For a rural library like this one, the manual is a lifesaver because it gives me all the information on how to develop the program, from ideas for programs to a list for recommended readings, everything.”
    This “everything” has ballooned as the program has grown, Lorente says.
    “CSLP has grown to embrace many of the issues that libraries go through,” she said. “Diversity is one. How do we integrate diversity into every program? Another issue is that librarians are the ones who are perceiving the needs of communities. Now, libraries are working to integrate meal programs for people into summer programs, for instance. I have seen the summer reading program develop in a creative and conscientious way, and I believe that librarians are very aware of the needs communities have.”
    While the program aims to identify a broader band of issues, it has retained the goal of making reading fun and available for everyone. This, too, has evolved over the years.
    “We have chosen to move from the concept of a ‘reading program’ to a summer ‘library program,’ which better describes what we have to offer,” Lorente said. “I started working around the idea of opening the library through the summer to every community member as a hub where they could do whatever they feel. If some people want to go and just rest, meditate, look through the window, so be it. I want to have this place filled with people and life.”
    Esther Burdick, 15, is a participant in the program and a page at Sitka Public Library. She shares Lorente’s belief that the summer reading program is more than an excuse to read more than usual.
    “When I go to the library, I don’t see a library,” she said. “I see our community reflected in the people who use the library. I think that it’s really important that we have a space for all people to go, whether it’s to read or to check out books or to just hang out, I think it’s important that we have that space in our community where anyone can go.”
    Her recognition of the importance of the public space hasn’t altered her view of the program, however, which she plans to take part in again this summer.
    “When I was little, I would always get the maps and stuff and check off on how much I read,” Burdick said. “I don’t remember a year not doing the program. It’s just kind of what I do during the summer. It’s nice to have a challenge to read, because sometimes I forget to since I’m so busy. It’s nice to have something that’s pushing me to finish books.”
    “We are trying to bring the joy and the celebration of the Summer Reading Program to Sitka,” Lorente said. “A ‘universe of stories’ can take you anywhere.”