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Santa Monica Public Library staff report more than 1 million minutes logged in 2025 summer reading, cite Beanstack rollout
Summary
Library staff reported 1,661 registrations and more than 1,000,000 total minutes read in the 2025 summer reading program, highlighted 9 program events, 726 books given away, and said Beanstack replaced paper logs and improved tracking and prize redemptions.
Library staff told the Santa Monica Library Board that the system’s 2025 summer reading program exceeded expectations, with robust participation across age groups and a new digital tracking platform.
Jennifer Boyce, youth and family services librarian, said the system recorded 1,661 combined youth and adult registrations and 902 total completions. Staff reported more than 1,000,000 minutes read collectively during the program; the transcript records the presentation figure as "1,000,46919" but staff emphasized the program exceeded the 1‑million‑minute benchmark.
Boyce broke out reading by age group: baby (0–4) participation produced roughly 65,036 minutes read with a 58% completion rate; kids (5–11) produced about 493,652 minutes with a 74% completion rate; and teens (12–18) produced about 152,565 minutes with a 52% completion rate. Staff said they distributed 726 books as prizes to support home libraries.
Staff described 9 signature summer reading events and additional recurring programming (weekly story times, Spanish story time). Popular events included a kickoff carnival (217 attendees), a teen anime program (89 at Pico branch), and SMPL at the Beach (about 213 attendees) where staff lent books and hosted seaside story time.
Jesus Cordero and other staff described Beanstack, the online platform used this year for registrations, logging minutes and prize redemptions. Staff said Beanstack gamifies participation with completion badges, simplified reporting that helps pursue funding, and required staff training and on‑site kiosks to support patrons without device access. Some board members and staff noted parental concerns about screen time and a desire to retain a limited paper option for select users; staff said they will consider hybrid approaches but plan to continue using Beanstack for registration and statistics because it improves tracking.
Adult services staff reported 534 adult sign‑ups, 335,606 minutes read by adults and 138 completions. Staff highlighted neighborhood breakdowns (Main, Fairview, Montana, Ocean Park, Pico) and local business partnerships that provided incentives such as bookstore coupons and gift certificates.
Staff said next steps include preparing a community impact report for the state library, continuing community partnerships, and using Beanstack data to plan next year’s program. They also invited public participation in upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month events and poet‑laureate recruitment scheduled to accept applications starting the week of Oct. 13.
